Red Jewel Diaries
by Kaijo
Summary: Nanoha dictates to her diary: "It was a small crisis..." A series of various fics showcasing events that happen in the lives of the cast, taking place after MGLN Crisis. Each chapter focuses on a few different characters. *COMPLETE*
1. Lip Service

**Red Jewel Diaries**

**Chapter 1: Lip Service**

Xx~~*~~xX

Nanoha: _"It was a small crisis, but compared to what we went through a couple of months ago, I think all of us prefer dealing with such small ones. And given my changing situation, I sometimes find it hard to cope with all the thoughts and feelings going through my head. Shamal suggested I keep a diary, thus here it is. And I think it's helping, especially after today's... misunderstandings. It all started when Shari's new android got loose...."_

x~~*~~x

"Good morning, Shari," Suzuka told her teacher. "How are things coming?"

Shari straightened up, revealing the form in the chair and pausing the movie on the holo-screen. "Splendidly! Good thing you're here, I wanted to show you something."

Suzuka got a good look at the Juyo android sitting in the chair. She was beginning to look more and more feminine, having shoulder-length light-green hair, reddish-brown eyes, and dressed in a white jumpsuit. If Suzuka didn't know any better, she could swear Juyo was a human.

The senior tech tapped away at a control console. "Okay, Juyo, initiate program 1443."

Juyo closed her eyes, and then her body shimmered. When it was over, Suzuka was staring at a second Shari sitting in the chair. The junior tech's mouth opened.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Shari said, pleased. "I managed to partially activate the morphing capabilities. She can't copy abilities or personality yet, although I'm not sure I can get those parts working. For now, she just has the ability to look like someone else and mimic their voice."

Juyo shifted to look like Suzuka, then raised her hand to point at the holographic monitor. "Data processing interrupted. Please resume movie."

"You have her watching movies?" Suzuka asked, a bit unnerved at her double. She noticed the screen. "Isn't that the latest romance movie, _Forgetting to Exhale_?"

"She's been hungry for information," Shari explained. "So I fed her some direct data, but I've also been playing movies for her, to help her understand humans."

Suzuka raised her eyebrow. "A romance movie?"

Shari held her hands up in a defensive motion. "I liked it!"

A holograph screen opened near them, revealing Fate's face. "Shari, can you assist me with something? I'm working a case and I've got a database with tough encryption."

"I'll be right there," Shari told her, and Fate signed off. She sighed. "Well, can you keep an eye on Juyo for me for awhile? I have a list of stuff to show her if the movie ends before I'm back."

"Sure," the purple-haired girl told her as Shari left the room. She was still somewhat unnerved by Juyo's physical duplication of her. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Operation is continuing within normal parameters," Juyo told her, the tone being modulated slightly enough that it wasn't completely like a computer's. She blinked. "Would you explain the meaning behind the current on-screen action?"

Suzuka looked at the screen, blushing slightly. "That's called a kiss. It's um, well, humans do that to show they love each other."

"That seems illogical," Juyo replied. "What is this love? Would you initiate lip contact with me so I may assess this concept?"

The junior tech's face grew a bit more red, as with the current android's look, it would be like kissing herself. "Um, sorry, Juyo. It's... a bit complex to explain. You'll understand someday when you experience it. But I wouldn't worry about it for now." A meow sounded from outside the room. "Oops, if you'll excuse me for a moment, I need to give Whiskers a quick tune-up. I'll be right back!"

The android touched her lips with her hands, then blinked, contemplating.

x~~*~~x

"Okay, sorry that took so long," Suzuka said, coming back into the room. "But I suppose we can talk more about... Juyo?"

She looked around, growing increasingly distressed. The chair was empty, and the android was gone.

Blood drained from her face. "Shari is going to kill me...."

x~~*~~x

"Oh, Suzuka-chan!" Arisa called, waving as she spotted her friend approaching her in the hallway. "I've been meaning to talk to you."

She didn't really take note of the look in her friend's eyes as they neared each other, although in hind sight, she probably should have.

"I just got done teaching a martial arts class for today and I contacted Nanoha-chan," she told the other girl. "I thought we could have lunch toge-mmpph!" Arisa found her sentence cut off in a way she did not expect.

Suzuka had pulled the other girl's face down and pressed their lips together, the action causing Arisa's mind to short-circuit.

After a few moments, Arisa managed to overcome her shock and push away. "W-what are you...." Tears began to leak from her eyes. "That was my first... You... WAAAAAAH!"

Juyo blinked her eyes, watching in fascination as the girl with the short, blonde hair ran away, crying. Clearly that was not the same reaction from the humans she had seen on-screen. She wondered why her actions did not produce similar results. More research was deemed to be needed. Almost unconsciously, her form shifted to mimic the woman she had just encountered, as she resumed walking down the hallway.

Her meanderings eventually brought her to a door, which slid open at her presence. Inside, a pony-tailed female went through several punches and kicks, then picked up a towel to wipe her face. At the sound of the door opening, her face came up.

"Arisa-sensei?" Kaiser-form Vivio questioned. "Did you forget something? I was just working out a few moves before taking a shower. I'd like to ask you a few things after, okay?"

The Vivio girl disappeared through a door on the other side of the training room while Juyo stood there in her own doorway, her form unconsciously shifting again.

x~~*~~x

Suzuka ran down the hallways, wondering where the android could have gone, and what it was attempting to do. Regardless, she wasn't gone too long, so Juyo couldn't have gotten too far. If it was still carrying her own likeness, then someone ought to have seen it.

She turned a corner and crashed into someone, sending her down on her butt. She rubbed her head and cracked an eye open, to get a look at who she had run into.

"Arisa-chan?" Suzuka questioned, noting the tears in the other girl's eyes; was she hurt that bad their run-in? "Are you alright?"

Arisa opened her own eyes, staring in shock. "How could you... THAT WAS MY FIRST KISS!"

Suzuka stared in confusion as her friend ran away crying. What was going on?

x~~*~~x

"Vivio, I've come to pick you up today from your martial arts class today," Yuuno announced, coming down the hall towards her. "Why are you still in Kaiser form? You should change back to normal. Your mamas told you that you could only change when training, or in an emerg-mph!"

Yuuno froze in shock as Vivio locked lips with him.

"Yuuno, what are you doing?" Hayate asked in surprise, causing the stunned archaeologist to jump away from the girl.

He noted that Rein was floating there, staring at him as well, in addition to Auris and Mariel. The latter had her hand covering her open mouth. Apparently, the quartet had just come around the corner.

"Why was Yuuno kissing Nanoha's daughter?" Rein wondered aloud.

"N-no, it's a misunderstanding!" Yuuno protested, as 'Vivio' stepped back into the room, the door closing. "It wasn't my fault! Tell them... Vivio?"

Panicking, Yuuno entered the room, although it was empty. Seeing the room across on the other side, he realized Vivio must have disappeared through it, and he quickly crossed and opened it.

"Vivio, you need to tell them that-" he started, then trailed off as several women in various states of undress looked up at him. The screaming proceeded the tossing of objects by about half a second. "I'm sorry! It was a mista-OW!"

A large wash basin rang as it met his face, and the next thing he knew, he was looking up at 3.2 women staring down at him with various expressions ranging from disappointment to pity.

Only Rein seemed oddly gleeful. "Kissing Nanoha's daughter and then peeking at girls in the changing room... you're such a pervert, Yuuno!"

The archeologist groaned, wondering how he was going to explain this to Nanoha and Fate.

x~~*~~x

Juyo was growing more confused, as her body shifted forms again. This love thing was more difficult to comprehend than she expected. What was she missing? Perhaps more testing would reveal the unaccounted for variables.

She needed a new test subject.

x~~*~~x

Alto exited the hanger where the next golem transport was being constructed, and into the light of day, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her skin.

Now that it's existence was known, Mariel's group had transferred back to the city to continue their line of research on golems and the transport shuttles. With any luck, the next hover transport should be ready in a few days. Alto was really looking forward to piloting it again; the extra power gave her more of a thrill compared to helicopters.

She took a sip from her coffee as she turned a corner, noting the figure coming toward her. She recognized him instantly, having admired him him a bit from afar. It was one of the reasons she made the trips to the Infinity Library to borrow books on various ships.

"What brings you out this way?" she asked him as he came up to him, wondering what was with the strange focused look in his eyes. "Is there something I can help you with, Yuu-mph!"

Alto's cheeks flushed red, surprised as Yuuno kissed her, her coffee cup slipping from her hands. After a moment, he pulled back.

"Can you describe your emotional and mental state for me?" Yuuno asked.

"I-I, well, that is, um..." Alto started, fidgeting, dropping her head as her index fingers nervously circled each other. Working with machinery was one thing; flustered feelings were quite another. "I didn't expect this, I mean, I kinda thought you were cute when I saw you in the Library the first time, because I've really think a guy with glasses is rather handsome..."

"Hmm, interesting," Yuuno noted, his gaze focusing on something farther away.

Growing more embarrassed, and unable to meet his eyes, Alto turned toward the wall, her heart beating rapidly. "...and I never thought you'd go for someone like me, I mean, you didn't seem too interested when I saw you in the library and..." Her head finally came up. "...and well I'm glad that you... Yuuno?"

Alto looked left and right, but the cute librarian was gone. "Hmm, maybe he was just as shy and embarrassed as I was..." She slowly smiled, realizing that he must have been admiring her from afar, too. "That's it! He made his move, and now it's my turn! I think I'll ask him out."

She looked down at her faded jumpsuit. "But first, I should probably head home and change into something nicer...."

x~~*~~x

"Hayate!" Suzuka called, waving the other girl down as she ran across the pavement outside to catch up to the group.

Hayate nodded to her two companions who kept walking while she stopped. "Suzuka-chan? What's the matter?"

The junior technician fidgeted. "Um, this may seem like a silly question, but have you seen me at all today? Or you, Rein?"

"You're right, that is a silly question," Hayate replied, confused. "I can't say that I have."

Rein thought hard, then shook her head. "Me, either. Hayate and I have been been in meetings all morning." She grinned. "Although we did catch Yuuno kissing-mph!"

Hayate exhaled in relief as she covered Rein's mouth in time. "Um, just ignore her."

Suzuka had a sudden dreadful thought, remembering something Arisa had said. "Kissing? It couldn't be..."

"Suzuka-chan?" Hayate questioned. "Is something going on?"

The purple-haired technician sighed, thinking that she probably should tell someone; she might not be able to handle this herself. "Well, I'm not sure, but I think it's like this...."

x~~*~~x

"Okay, Storm Raider, what do ya we do a quick inspection and tune-up before we have to head out?" Vice asked, bring out his dog-tags.

"Sounds good to me," his device chirped.

He was heading toward his golem, currently undergoing maintenance and upgrades in Marial's hanger. They had been adding a few extra offensive and defensive subsystems to compliment the long-range rifle, and he came by regularly to check up on progress, and keep Storm Raider attuned to the changes, occasionally running tests. He paused, admiring the golem, almost not noting the figure coming up beside him.

"Oh, hey, Alto, didn't know you were still here," Vice said, turning to see who it was. "She's a real beauty, isn't s-mph!"

"Well, I was in the area and decided to come by and see how you were doing," Signum noted. "But I can see you are doing just fine."

She turned and began to walk out of the hanger, while Vice was still lip-locked to Alto. The pilot/sniper quickly broke away, chasing after the Belkan knight. Unbeknownst to them, Alto's form shifted behind them into Vice's form.

"Hey wait, this isn't what you think!" he called desperately.

"Apparently it isn't," Signum replied, continuing to walk. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

Vice sighed. "Come on, give me a chance, here..."

x~~*~~x

"Is something bothering you, Yuuno-papa?" Vivio asked, noting that her guardian seemed a little edgy as they walked home along the sidewalk.

"W-what makes you say that?" Yuuno responded as her question broke him out of his train of thought. Despite all the battle simulations Alicia was helping him run in his head, every one of them ended with him on the bad side of a Starlight Breaker.

She took his hand and patted it, smiling. "Oh, you weren't sayin' much. But don't worry, whatever it is, I can help make it better!"

Yuuno swallowed, pausing and kneeling down. "Listen, before we get home, we should talk about-"

"Yuuno!" Hayate called.

He looked up to see Hayate, Suzuka, and Rein coming towards him. "Hayate? What's wrong? If this is about earlier, I can explain... I think...." He paused, noting how the three took up positions around him and Vivio.

"Suzuka, is it her?" Hayate asked, as the junior technician placed her hands on Vivio's shoulders.

She shook her head. "No, this is really Vivio."

Alicia flickered into view. "Perhaps you better explain what is going on."

"We'll explain on the way," Hayate told him. "Rein, take Vivio home, then join us back on the base. Odds are, it's still there. Yuuno, you come with us, as we may need your help."

x~~*~~x

Juyo had accumulated a decent data set, but was still unable to formulate a theory as to this thing called "love." Lip contact failed to initiate the response dictated in the documentary on human courting rituals. She concluded that there must be some missing factors. But what?

With that thought in mind, she had decided to put this "kissing" on hold for the moment, and gather more data through passive observation. Perhaps examination of humans in the natural act could help shed some light on this mystery.

Which was ultimately why she was now walking down a sidewalk in the city. She had pulled up maps and various data files that many humans could be found in this area, but so far, she hadn't seen any kissing or love taking place.

She paused, looking up at a banner above a storefront. It contained a pair of hearts and the words "Love-Love Club" above. Perhaps she could gain some clue here.

Inside was a variety of strange implements and products that she couldn't identify. Just what did things in here have to do with love? As she passed a bookshelf, a title stood out and she picked up the book, entitled "The Secrets to Successful Love Making" and quickly flipped through it's pages, rapidly assimilating all the information.

Apparently, there was much more than kissing involved in love....

x~~*~~x

Arisa sat on her bed, trying to still her jumbled thoughts. [Calm yourself, Arisa, you're over that now. It was just a k-kiss. Who cares if it was your first one? It just came from your best friend, so it really doesn't count, even though...]

She slapped her cheeks again. "Those days are over. I may have had a bit of a romantic two-girl friendship with Suzuka in middle school, but that just was a harmless thing and not at all improper and it's over now!

Arisa took a deep breath. "Suzuka must have just been playing a joke on me, that's right. It doesn't mean anything, I really don't have feelings *that* way for her. Which means she doesn't have those feelings for me, either. It was a joke, that's it. Just a joke."

Her eyes narrowed, becoming fierce, as she began to cackle. [And it's dangerous to play such a joke on me, Suzuka Tsukimura!]

x~~*~~x

Teana bumped into someone as they came out of a door. "Oops, sorry, excu... Vice?" She backed up a bit and noted the store he had come out of, cheeks reddening as she realized what type of store it was. "Um, I'll just pretend I didn't notice this. I need to get going anyway, seeya!"

Juyo watched the orange-haired girl run away, her form shifting to mimic it. She had planned on testing her latest research on that specimen, but it got away too fast. However, the book had recommended finding a romantic spot before initiating activities, so she searched her memory banks, coming up with the name of popular park nearby. Apparently, parks were a favorite spot for couples in love.

She turned and began walking down the way the other girl had come.

x~~*~~x

"So let me get this straight," Yuuno said as they ran. "Shari made a form-shifting robot that's currently going around kissing people?"

"I-I think so," Suzuka replied timidly as the pair ran, searching. "It's really harmless, though! I think she's just confused and is seeking information!"

"Attention all base personnel," came Hayate's voice through the speakers throughout the complex. "There is currently a human-looking robot roaming the premises. While mostly harmless, it is imperative that we retrieve and deactivate it asap. It can look like anyone it has encountered, but not the personality, so you should be able to identify it fairly easily. It is mostly harmless, but it might attempt to... kiss people. And no, that's not a joke."

Suzuka whimpered; she had wanted to handle her mistake quietly. It seemed like a simple matter: find Juyo and get her back in the lab before Shari or anyone noticed. She didn't want this to get so out-of-hand.

A view screen popped up. "Suzuka, what's going on?"

"Shari!" Suzuka exclaimed nervously, startled. "Um, I'm sorry, but I kinda... lost... Juyo.... But she's somewhere on the base, we just don't where!"

Shari raised an eyebrow as Fate looked up from the background. "Lost? Why didn't you use the tracking function to find her?"

The running pair froze, as Yuuno pointedly looked at Suzuka and asked, "Yes, why didn't we use the tracking function?"

The junior technician sweated nervously. "There was a tracking function?"

Shari sighed. "I'm going to send the frequency and specifics to you and Hayate. Just try to bring her back in one piece. Juyo shouldn't be too dangerous, as most of her combat functions have been disabled; she just has her increased android strength. And she should only respond aggressively in self-defense. I'll be by in a bit to help with the search and recovery."

"Understood, I promise I'll find her and bring her back in one piece!" Suzuka told her teacher confidently, as Shari signed off.

"Well, that should be a bit of relief," Yuuno offered, patting the fraught girl on the shoulder. "There's very little chance of the android hurting people, then."

Suzuka tapped away at a holo-screen, trying to initiate a scan of the base using the frequency Shari sent her. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "Well, how many people would have the strength to threaten an android?"

x~~*~~x

"Tea, over here!" Subaru called, waving from the grassy knoll among the trees and bushes. "I found a great spot for lunch. We have a great view of the city from here."

The orange-haired girl came up to her, looking all around as if studying the area.

"Aw, you were supposed to get those special drinks we liked, while I picked up the food," Subaru complained, noting her friend's empty hands. "We're they closed or something? Tea? Is something wr-mph!"

She suddenly found herself in Tea's arms, lips against hers, in a kiss she had only felt in her dreams. And then Tea's hands began to roam.

x~~*~~x

"So that wasn't Vice I saw?" the real Teana asked Hayate in the view screen as she ran.

"Probably not, as we've confirmed Vice is still on base and the signal is coming from the city now," Hayate replied. "Approximate location is a park near where you last saw him."

"Subaru should be there!" Teana realized aloud. "Could she be in danger?"

"We don't know, but we can't reach her for some reason," Hayate told her. "Although Shari says the android may be putting out a low energy field that might interrupt communication channels, but that should only happen if she's in extreme close range. Remember, if you find it, just try to track it. I'm flying out with a few others and we'll handle containment."

Teana's eyes narrowed, and she activated her barrier jacket. "Roger, I'm almost to the park."

x~~*~~x

At first, Juyo felt felt like she had achieved success; the subject was responding very well. But then something strange was happening; the subject's grip was increasing in strength. Structural integrity would soon be compromised if she didn't manage to free herself.

"Mmmmm, Tea..." Subaru purred.

Self-defense programs triggered and Juyo's strength increased. With a mighty shove, she managed to free herself, pushing the subject backwards into some bushes. Escape protocols activated next, and she quickly fled the scene.

A moment later, the real Teana came running up the small slope, recognizing a pair of legs sticking from some bushes.

"Subaru, are you alright?" she asked, leaning over to get a good look at her friend. Why wasn't she moving? Although she appeared to breathing, so that was good.

A hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

"Subaru?" Tea questioned again. "What are-eep!" She found herself pulled in. "Subaru!? Wait, what are you-mmppphhh!!!???"

x~~*~~x

"This is Sergeant Bennings," came the call. "I am overhead the location in a helicopter. There are two individuals below, engaged in something like a wrestling match. I believe one of them could be the shape-shifting robot we've been searching for, and the other may be attempting to capture it. Relaying footage."

"Roger that, Sergeant," came Hayate's response. "Just observe; our helicopter is almost there."

"Um, Sergeant, are you sure that's wrestling?" co-pilot Lt. Tuttle asked, looking through some binoculars.

x~~*~~x

Hayate, Yuuno, Vice, Suzuka, and Shari stared at the video they were being sent.

"Um, are you sure one of them is our android?" Hayate asked.

Shari double-checked her readings. "Actually, it appears the unit has left the park, proceeding eastwards."

Hayate hit her communicator again. "Um, Sergeant, the target is actually heading out of the park to the east, please follow it. Relaying the tracking data."

Suzuka reached out and shut off the video. "I think we've watched enough of that...."

"Oh, um yeah," Yuuno said, while Vice coughed from the front seat. "Is there anyone else in range who can intercept?"

Suzuka double-checked her readings. "Maybe...."

x~~*~~x

Nanoha took her time, doing a bit of window shopping as she headed home. She still felt like buying something, but couldn't decide on what. As she reached the next window, the breath caught in her chest momentarily. It was a wedding shop, showcasing numerous clothing outfits from various world, used in marriage ceremonies. For a moment, her thoughts trailed off, then realized she was being watched.

"Oh, hello there, Subaru," Nanoha said, smiling. "What brings you by here?"

x~~*~~x

"This is Teana, we're on our way," the agent groused, looking angrily back at the girl trailing behind her.

"I said I was sorry," Subaru offered meekly, rubbing the multiple bumps on her head. "I really thought it was you...."

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT ANY BETTER!" Teana yelled back, her face red, whether from anger or something else, Subaru couldn't tell.

x~~*~~x

"Subaru?" Nanoha questioned as the girl, and the sound of helicopters, came closer "What's wrong? Is something on your mind?"

The blue-haired girl suddenly grabbed her in a hug, and Nanoha hugged back. And then she found her lips captured.

"Restrict Lock," Raging heart chirped, pink bonds of force shooting up from the ground to entangle Subaru, who tried to break free.

Nanoha pulled her lips away, but continued to hold the girl. "It's alright, no one is going to hurt you. But you can drop the disguise; I would like to see the real you."

Juyo ceased struggling and looked up at Nanoha, blinking, as her form reverted to normal. The two helicopters showed up overhead, Hayate and Yuuno flying Shari and Suzuka down, respectively, while Teana and the real Subaru rounded a corner.

"You're actually quite pretty," Nanoha commented, smiling, then looked up. "I got your telepathic message, Suzuka-chan. She's undamaged."

"Telepathic message?" Yuuno questioned.

"Suzuka told me all about Juyo just a short time ago so I hopped ahead into her path," Nanoha replied. "She stressed that Juyo meant no harm, and was just seeking answers, and if I could stop her without damaging her."

Nanoha released the bind as Shari came up behind Juyo and activated her off switch, gently lowering the android to the ground.

"Well, we got her back in one piece, and no one got hurt," Hayate noted with relief. "And Suzuka has learned something, so all's well that ends well."

Yuuno suddenly found an envelope thrust in his face. "What-?"

"I'm returning your feelings!" Alto said, her head bowed and arms outstretched, in a rare appearance wearing regular clothes and not her jumpsuit. "Would you like to go out on a date with me?"

"Yuuno-kun, what is she talking about?" Nanoha asked, eyes narrowing.

The befuddled young man looked back and forth frantically, from Nanoha to Alto. "I-I don't know wha-!"

"SUZUKA!" came a fierce female call, interrupting him. "I finally found you!"

The purple-haired girl turned along with everyone else, as a short blonde-haired girl strode up to her. "Arisa-chan? What is it?"

"I've got something for you!" Arisa told her, striding up with an evil grin on her face.

In the next moment, Suzuka found herself attacked, her eyes widening in surprise and her cheeks turning beet red, while everyone else stared in shock.

Subaru whistled, taking notes. "Now that's what I call a kiss!"

"You sure we got the right kissing robot?" Teana asked Shari.

Arisa finally released the other girl and triumphantly crossed her arms over her chest. "Payback for what you did to me!"

"Um, actually, Arisa-chan, if it's what I think it is, I'm not sure Suzuka is responsible," Hayate offered.

"Huh?" Arisa replied. "She kissed me first, earlier today as a joke."

As the situation was explained to her, color slowly drained from her face. Afterwards, the pained cry could be heard for miles.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

And so begins a sort of continuation to Crisis. As opposed to that, however, this will be a series of shorts, focusing on different characters and situations; more episodic in nature. There is no particular "end" in mind, just an open-ended journey exploring the lives of the cast. Not everything will be humor, as each chapter will have it's own feel to it. Currently I have 3 more chapters plotted:

Heritage - detective drama: Fate goes searching for clues to her past, when she finally opens up the envelope Shamal gave her.

Family - Nanoha, Fate, and Yuuno are confronted with questions about their situation, while Yuuno takes Vivio's class on a field trip.

Allies - Quattro, Tre, and Sette return, and get a chance to earn the trust of the Bureau as they investigate a lunar lab that was working on some secret research. A bit more of an action/survivalists drama.

I have some vague ideas for more that I'll develop later, but if someone has a particular plot in mind they'd like to see, or which characters you'd like to see more of, I do take suggestions. Oh, and if you're wondering about "romantic two-girl friendship," I suggest you look up in tvtropes. There's in an interesting link there to "class S" as well. =)


	2. Family

**Red Jewel Diaries**

**Chapter 2: Family**

Xx~~*~~xX

Nanoha: _"If someone had told me, when I was younger, that I'd end up adopting a daughter while being in a three-way relationship... well, I probably would have reacted much the same way as I did when I watched Lindy put sugar and milk into her green tea the first time. I had the same dream as many other young Japanese girls; that I would eventually find a husband and raise a family, much like the one I came from. Perhaps that's why I resisted the feelings I had for Fate for such a long time, and why those feelings prevented me from seeing Yuuno as anything more than a friend. And while things have been developing fairly well, I still hide some fear and doubt, which recent events forced me to confront..."_

x~~*~~x

"You made it!" the first woman told the second, greeting her with a kiss. "I was afraid you'd forgotten or that something came up."

"I did partially get hung up at the office, but I insisted on taking the rest of the day off," the second replied, sitting down at the circular park table with the second woman, not letting go of her hand. "You know very well I wouldn't leave you hanging, Ms. Beanna Pret Haruwena!"

Beanna smiled. "I suppose not, Ms. Cela Kennes. Although you still need to change your name to mine!"

"I thought you were going to change yours to mine!" Cela laughed. "We always have this kind of argument, don't we? One of these days...."

"Oh hush, I want you to see something," Beanna told her, pointing.

Cela let her gaze follow, noticing a young brunette with a single pony-tail, sitting on the edge of the park fountain, working on a floating computer screen. She was confused at first, until a second girl showed up. This one had long golden hair, and kissed the first one on the cheek before offering her an ice cream cone and sitting down next to her. The first one smiled awkwardly.

"I see what you mean," Cela noted, fondly. "Reminds me of us when we were that age. Ahh, the feeling of two young girls in love...."

"I was hoping the gold-haired girl would come back so you could see it," Beanna explained, then her eyes narrowed as a third person came up to them. "Wait, what's going on?"

"Is what I think happening?" Cela asked, then her eyes widened as her fears were realized. "Oh no, I feel bad for them. They are making a terrible mistake!"

Beanna stood up, continuing to observe the new situation. "Well, we should help them. They can't be allowed to make the same mistakes we made!"

Cela nodded, standing with her.

x~~*~~x

"Yuuno, over here!" Fate called, waving, drawing the third part of their relationship over.

Nanoha smiled in response to Yuuno's as he came over to them. Fate stood up first to hug and kiss him, being careful with her ice cream cone.

"I'm sorry I can't stay long," Yuuno told them, hugging Nanoha. "I came by earlier to finish dropping my luggage off at the apartment, and I need to go meet Carim up at the church to finalize the field trip details. But I wanted to come by and see you guys."

"You still plan to live on your own for now?" Fate asked, sitting down and scooting over a bit to allow Yuuno to sit between them, while Nanoha offered him a lick of her ice cream.

"I'm sorry, I know you guys said I could live with you, but I'm still a bit nervous," Yuuno told them. "I don't want to put you two through any trouble. I still spend a lot of time at the library, and I have a room near there I use when I stay overnight, so a small apartment in town here is fine for now."

"It would be no trouble at all-" Fate started to say.

"Fate-chan, we should respect Yuuno-kun's wishes," Nanoha admonished her, placing her free hand on Yuuno's, then her cheeks turned slightly pink as she looked up at him. "It's alright, when you feel comfortable, let us know. It won't change how we feel."

Truth be told, she was a bit nervous about having him in the house as well; the idea seemed vastly different then when he used to sleep in a basket in her room when they were kids. Would he be staying in a separate room? Or would he be sleeping in the same bed as her and Fate? These were questions that hadn't been brought up yet, and she was afraid to voice them.

He gave her hand a squeeze. "Thanks Nanoha, I appreciate that." He turned to squeeze the other woman's free hand as well. "And thanks for your feelings as well, Fate. It's just taking me awhile longer to get used to this."

She patted his hand. "Nanoha is right, take as long as you need to." She patted his hand. "But Vivio is really looking forward to seeing you more often. She's been really excited about this field trip!"

"Me, too," Yuuno admitted shyly, standing up. "She's real fun to be around. Well, I've got to be going. I'll talk to you guys later!"

The two girls waved as he ran off, then Nanoha smiled hesitantly as Fate gave her the eye. Further conversation was put on hold, however, due to an interruption.

"What are you two doing!?" came a female cry, causing the two women to look up as two middle-aged women approached them.

"Calm down, Beanna," the brunette told her partner, then turned back. "I'm Cela. What she means to say is, why are you allowing a man into your relationship?"

"Yuuno?' Nanoha questioned. "He's a good person-"

"It doesn't matter what he is!" Breanna exclaimed, interrupting Nanoha. "He's a man. You're two women. You don't need a man! No man can truly understand a woman, and they'll just end up hurting you in the end. You're ruining a good thing!"

"My friend is a bit harsh, but she's right," Cela soothed. "You two are better off by yourselves. Couples simply work better, and women are simply better together without a man in the mix. It'll only hurt worse later on, so it's better if you let him go."

Nanoha felt her arms begin to tremble, partly in anger, but also partly from an inner doubt that she had been feeling. Could they be right?

She felt Fate's hand on her arm, steadying her. "We don't need to explain our personal lives and choices to outsiders. Come on, Nanoha."

Nanoha let herself be pulled away, but the doubts remained.

x~~*~~x

"Okay, does everyone have their hard hats?" Yuuno asked the gathered crowd of 2nd graders.

A chorus of various positive responses from the group of 30 kids was his reply.

"Okay, turn on your lights and we'll be heading in to see what archeology is all about!" he told them, smiling as he reached up to turn his head lamp on. As they entered the large cave ahead of them, Yuuno started his narrative. "The Scrya tribe has been excavating this particular site for months now, so we'll able to venture in quite far to see how things are coming along."

"Who can tell me what 'excavating' means?" Mrs. Jelaene, the 2nd grade teacher asked.

About half the hands went up and she picked a girl with short black hair. "It means they are digging up old stuff!"

Yuuno chuckled. "Close enough. Now, as we go deeper, take the hands of your partners and try to stay close together. Some areas are roped off as dangerous, so don't get close to them. Stay in the well-lit areas."

Vivio sighed as she found her partner, a girl with blonde hair and twin ponytails that reminded her of her Fate-mama's hair when she was in her barrier jacket. It was a girl in her class she knew as Corona. They had talked occasionally, but she was mostly quiet, so Vivio didn't know her too well They had partnered up a few times before on assignments, but they didn't speak much beyond that.

But it did bring to mind an issue that had been rolling around in the back of her head. When she had started school, she was so excited to meet other kids her age; and initially, she got along fairly well with them. However, as time went by, she wasn't really able to form a close with connection with them. The girls had a mostly standard ranged mid-childa style, while Vivio was more of a physical fighter. Some of the boys were close combat physical Belkan types, but they thought girls were gross.

And so, she didn't walk to school with them, or do things after school with them. She talked with them about the latest events, the cute new toys, and the current assignment, but that was it. She got along decently with them, but something always seemed to be missing. In time, she realized it was because she wanted a real close friend of her own; someone to do everything with and hang out with after school.

She occasionally wonder if it was possible. She knew she wasn't like them; she was a a clone, an artificial human, while they were born from two parents. She had been through things no other kid her age had. Perhaps they sensed that, and felt that she was too different. She wasn't lonely, really; she had her mama's, her mama's friends, and kids at school were friendly enough. But sometimes she just wanted someone like her to hang out with.

Corona shyly took her hand as the two followed the rest of the class, and Vivio smiled at her. To her surprise, Corona hesitantly smiled back, but then quickly turned her gaze away. The young Takamachi girl sighed and attempted to focus on Yuuno's speech.

"And over here, embedded in this wall, we have the bones of an ancient flying creature, that used to soar the skies of Mid-childa hundreds of years ago," the archeologist explained as the group stopped. "It's extinct now."

A hand went up and Mrs. Jelaene pointed at the young boy. "What does 'extinct' mean?"

"Who can remember what that word means?" the teacher asked the rest of the class. "Think back over our lessons, over the past few days. Yes, Keijy?"

"It means it's no longer around!" the young boy known as Keijy said proudly.

Vivio sighed as the boy was congratulated; Keijy was ever trying to be the teacher's pet. It's not like she didn't know the answer; she just didn't feel like saying anything. School didn't seem as fun lately.

"Well, if it isn't the runt!" a deep voice called out. A large, muscular man came out of the darkness to stand before their archeologist guide, wearing black pants, a white tank-top to showcase his physique, and a lit hardhat.

"And if it isn't the over-muscled oaf," Yuuno replied, smiling wryly. "Still unable to find your way out of ruins? It's a good thing I'm here, then."

"Why I oughta..." the bigger man fumed, shaking his fist. Then he broke out smiling and nearly smothered Yuuno by wrapping an arm around the smaller man's head. "So, is this the class coming for the visit, eh?"

Yuuno managed to pry himself loose. "Yes, it is. This is the 2nd grade class from the Saint Church Academy. Everyone, I'd like to introduce Bolan Scrya. He's someone I've known since before I was your age!"

"Is he like your brother, then?" Keijy asked.

The two men exchanged wry smiled, leading Vivio to suspect that something else was there.

"Sort of," Yuuno admitted, trying hard not to chuckle while Bolan gave a hearty laugh. "Everyone in the Scrya tribe takes the same last name, but Bolan and I had a few... interactions in our younger days."

Bolan finished laughing, and wiped his eyes. "It's an old story; perhaps I'll tell it to you guys after the tour. Well, I have to head up to check in with the boss back in camp. I'll be by later!"

Everyone waved as the big man ran off the way they had come. Vivio realized that, though the trip was interesting, she found herself wanting to hear that story more.

"Ah well, I guess we'll hear it later," she whispered to herself.

"Yeah," Corona agreed, sighing. "I wanted to hear it, too."

Vivio turned to the girl, surprised, then smiled. "Well, don't worry, I'll get him to tell us later if he doesn't. I know him!"

"You do?" Corona asked, brightening up. "Is he related to you?"

"Sort of..." Vivio replied, wondering just how to explain it when she didn't really understand. "He's a friend of my mamas. I think he's gonna be my papa. I visit with him in the Infinity Library and he teaches me stuff."

The other girl stared in awe. "Really? That's pretty cool."

Vivio's smile widened. Maybe....

x~~*~~x

A couple hours into the tour, they all took a break in one of the larger caverns, which contained some ancient ruins along with more skeletons. He had explained that this area had been covered by a lava flow a long time ago, and then cooled rapidly, so a lot of things were preserved. The class broke up to wander around and look at the various skeletons and ruins.

That's when the trouble started. Yuuno would have found out later that it was Quentin, a young boy famous for misbehaving and getting into the occasional fight, who found a small lizard and put it down the back of Corona's shirt. The other boys laughed as she she squealed and tried to get it out, and Vivio seemed to get real mad about it.

She told him to stop it. He told her to make him, apparently believing she wouldn't hit him.

He was wrong.

The problem was, Quentin was a ground magic using type. He wasn't too strong, but he could create mini-quakes that shook the ground for a few meters. As he got up and rubbed his bloody noise, he did just that, stomping his foot and knocking Vivio off her feet with the resulting tremor. The other boys continued to laugh, but trailed off as the tremor failed to cease.

Yuuno looked up from where he was explaining things to a few students, realizing the shaking was getting worse, and pieces of the ceiling were beginning to give way. At this rate, he knew they'd never make it to the exit in time.

"Everyone get together around me!" he shouted, as Mrs. Jelaene hustled a few kids his way.

But not every kid was coming to him. Some were frozen in fear, and others were running for one of the couple of tunnels that connected this large cavern.

"Stay here with these," Yuuno told the teacher, placing a barrier over them, then took off sprinting for the other scattered kids.

He managed to gather another group and place a barrier around them, but he hadn't seen Vivio yet. Where was she?

Then he spotted her over on the far side. She had just tackled one of the boys who tried to run off, trying to keep them together against the wall. Yuuno ran over, watching another girl leap and do a spin kick, that shattered a larger rock falling towards them. He was impressed, and then something hit him in the head and he began to fall, a sharp pain shooting up from his ankle as he went down.

His vision was blurry and he felt light-headed, cursing himself for not watching out for himself as well. He found it hard to move his body, but he'd never forgive himself if he lost Nanoha's daughter. Closing one eye and reaching out with his right hand, he felt Alicia respond, amplifying his magic. A barrier formed around him, then tunneled down to the group of kids and formed a second barrier around them.

In the next moment, the rest of the ceiling came down.

x~~*~~x

"Are you feeling okay?" Fate asked as she helped dry the dishes, noting how Nanoha had been cleaning the same plate for the past several minutes. Despite the advanced cleaning systems, Nanoha preferred to clean the old fashioned way.

"Oh, sorry," Nanoha apologized, handing the plate to her.

"You're not *still* thinking about what those women said yesterday, are you?" Fate admonished her, the embarrassed facial reaction confirming her suspicions. "It's our life; what we choose to do with it is up to us."

Her partner's face lowered a bit to gaze into the soapy suds. "I know that, but I've always had some doubts about this, I guess. I sometimes feel like I'm splitting my feelings between both of you, and that I can't give you both everything that you deserve."

Fate sighed and dried her hands, then placed her hands on Nanoha's shoulders and turned the woman to face her. "You're giving us more than enough. There are times when I'm out on a long assignment, and Yuuno can be here for you. There are times when he has a research dig, or needs to stay at the library over several days, and I can be here for you. And you're here enough for both of us, taking care of the home and Vivio.

She smiled. "And there are times when you're not around, and Yuuno and I can be there for each other. It works out. In both of you, I have more love and support than I know what to do with sometimes. It was like that back with the Jewel Seeds, remember? If it wasn't for both of you, I wouldn't be here now. And together, we supported each other through the Book of Darkness incident, and so many others.

She lifted Nanoha's face with a finger. "There is no right or wrong here; just what we feel is right for us. Do you honestly still want us both?"

Her head came up, but before she could answer, a holo screen opened up, displaying Carim's face. "I apologize for bothering you, but I felt you should know. I just received word that there was a Midquake at the dig where Mrs. Jelaene's class was taking a field trip."

Fate's heart caught in her throat. "How are Vivio and Yuuno?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I don't have any more details at this time. I'm trying to organize relief efforts at the moment. I thought you both would want to know, if you want to head out there."

"Thank you, Carim," Fate replied, as the other woman nodded and signed off.

Fate looked at Nanoha, who nodded, and the two went to grab their coats.

x~~*~~x

"He's so cute like this," Corona remarked, adoring the animal in front of her.

Yuuno chuckled nervously, now in ferret form to conserve magical energy. He had to maintain the barrier until they were rescued. He couldn't risk a teleport of the small group in his condition; they could end up stuck inside rock or he might fail to bring one or two of them. Plus, Alicia had been monitoring his vitals, informing him that he had a slight concussion and a sprained ankle. He wasn't fit to be going anywhere for awhile.

"Who cares about him!?" Quentin exclaimed, eyes tearing up, the other two boys similarly afraid. "We're trapped down here and we're gonna die!"

"We're not gonna die!" Vivio snapped at him. "And it's your fault that we're in this mess!" She pointed a thumb at her chest and smiled broadly. "Plus, I can bust us out of here if needed!"

Yuuno thought quickly, as he needed to keep the kids calm and distracted and couldn't let Vivio attempt to dig them out; she might cause a further collapse or get trapped. "Actually, if you all sit tight and wait for the rescuers, I can tell you a little story."

The five children gathered around him, the soft green glow from the barrier the only light, while Corona asked, "Can you tell us about Mr. Bolan?"

He nodded. "In fact, seeing you guys reminded me a lot of those days. When I was young, Bolan's group used to bully me quite a bit."

"But he seemed like a good friend when we saw you two earlier," Vivio said in wonder. "What changed?"

"It all started shortly after I got this form, as a matter of fact," Yuuno explained. "You see, Scrya tribe members generally take on an animal spirit form, as a way of communing with nature. It's different for each person, as to when they decide to get a form. I got mine when I was very young, actually about the same age as you kids. I rescued a wounded ferret, but it was still dying. I remember being sad, and decided to take its form as a way to remember it.

He paused and chuckled. "Most of the other boys picked larger or more powerful or useful forms. So it was just another thing Bolan's group teased me for. But there was one day...."

x~~*~~x

"Hey look, it's the ferret runt again!" Bolan shouted, pointing. The group of five boys looked and laughed, throwing various jokes and jeers his way.

7-year-old Yuuno Scrya's ears and cheeks burned, but he tried his best to ignore them as he walked through the streets. Responding only made it worse.

The Scrya tribe had stopped nearby this small town to buy supplies and trade, as well as gather information. Yuuno wasn't looking for anything in particular, but it was rare to see such towns that he just wanted to see the sights. Also he hoped to lose himself in the crowds, and get away from his tormenters, but apparently he failed in that.

"Hey, should we bring him along?" one of the other boys asked.

"That's a great idea, Genn!" Bolan agreed.

Yuuno didn't know what was up, but he decided he didn't like the sound of that. He took off running, noting that the group was chasing him out of the corner of his eye. But it didn't do him much good; they were older and faster, and eventually caught up to him, trapping him in an alley.

"No need to run, ferret runt!" Bolan teased. "In fact, we're doing you a great service! We're gonna be heroes to the tribe! And you won't have to be ashamed you didn't get a cool form, like a red-tailed hawk or razorbear!"

"N-no thanks," Yuuno replied, his back against a wall, unsure of how to get out of this.

Bolan dropped his hands on Yuuno's shoulders and grabbed. "This is what friends do for each other..." The other boys sniggered at this, as Bolan dragged him off. "We got some great info on a cave near here, that is supposed to have some ruins. We're gonna discover it, and our status in the tribe will shoot sky high!"

Yuuno found his arm held tight, and eventually gave up trying to escape; Bolan was remarkably strong. He let himself be dragged along as the group found the cave. It had a rather round entrance, but obviously dark. Also somewhat damp, he noted, as the group of six cautiously entered. Bolan and another boy activated light spells, but after a minute, a couple of the other boys got nervous, suggesting they leave and have the elders handle it.

"Are you nuts?" he told them. "They'd hog all the glory. This is gonna be our discovery!" He gave them the evil eye. "You aren't afraid, are you?"

The two boys shook their heads, although Yuuno could plainly see they were afraid. Still, the group pressed on, and we're eventually rewarded with signs of somewhat crumbled stone blocks. There was joyous celebration, particularly from Bolan, but Yuuno was worried about something else. It had been over an hour since they entered, and they had taken several twists and turns since then.

"So how do we get back out?" he asked, dampening the mood.

"Out?" Bolan asked, incredulous. "We're not done yet! There has to be more. We're gonna find the rest. Come on!"

He grabbed another boy's wrist, still holding onto Yuuno with the other arm, and charged headlong down the tunnel. The others ran after him, while he ignored their calls to slow down. Then the ground gave way underneath their feet, and the entire group fell into darkness.

When Yuuno recovered, he realized what the rest had figured out: the sides of the crevasse they had fallen into, were too steep to climb out. Two of the boys had changed into their animal forms, a horned gorilla and firelion, but neither could scale the walls. Bolan's razorbear form fared no better.

"We're stuck down here and gonna die!" Genn wailed.

"We're not gonna die!" Bolan insisted, though Yuuno could see his nerves fraying. "The elders will realize we're missing soon enough, and come to get us!"

"If they even know to look for us down here," another boy said glumly.

Yuuno was feeling the rising waves of panic and despair as well, but kept his mouth shut to avoid showing it. How were they to get out of this? He rapidly scanned the area, looking for something they could use. Then his gaze settled on a broken water pipe pointing out from a wall. A tiny bit of water flowed out of it. But maybe, it just might be enough...

"Ferret-runt, what are you doing?" Bolan demanded to know as Yuuno bent over to inspect the pipe.

"I-I think I can squeeze out through this," Yuuno replied. "I've done a lot of squeezing through narrow areas in my animal form."

"So you can leave us all down here!?" the bigger boy barked, placing a hand on the smaller boy's neck.

"N-no!" Yuuno denied. "There's water coming out, which means it leads somewhere. I might be able to get out and go for help!"

"You could also get stuck in there," Genn told him, looking it over.

Yuuno looked at the pipe again; there was always that possibility, although he had found his ferret form rather nimble and flexible.

Bolan sighed, and the new tone in his voice surprised Yuuno. "You better come back for us, runt."

Yuuno looked up, meeting his gaze, and nodded fiercely. "I will."

It may have been his imagination, but for once, he saw some sense of camaraderie in the bigger boy's eyes, rather than scorn. He turned and shifted forms, then squeezed into the pipe. There was just enough room for him to maneuver, and he began to work his way through it.

Several times, the path twisted and turned and split, but Yuuno followed the thin water trail; it had to come from somewhere. And several times, the path threatened to give out under his weight, but he managed to continue on, the extremely narrow tunnel seemingly stretching on forever, and threatening to give him claustrophobia.

The water flow increased a bit, but eventually he managed to find the exit, as he urgently surged forward into the light, and splashed into a small pond. Shifting back to human form, he checked the sun in the sky to get his bearing, and then took off.

A couple hours later, he had notified his tribe, who had rescued the other boys. Things changed then. While he was still teased, it was rare, and there was no longer any real malice in the voices. They had all gone in together, been trapped, and then punished together. The boys considered Yuuno part of their group, even when they later group up and went their separate ways.

x~~*~~x

"But why didn't you fly or teleport out?" Vivio inquired, curious.

"Back then, I hadn't learned how," Yuuno explained, then smiled. "But it did spur me into learning over the next year or so. I had the basics within a few months, but the advanced stuff took me longer."

"You can teleport?" Quentin asked, seemingly having forgotton his fear, listening just as intently as the rest. "Can't you get us out of here?"

"It's possible, but risky," he told them. "My magic is a bit drained, healing me and maintaining the barrier, and I'm a bit disoriented. I'm not sure I could take everyone, or that I could make it outside. If I passed out mid teleport, it would be bad."

Corona pulled her legs up to her chest from where she sat, wrapping her arms around them, and shivered. "Then how do we get out?" She coughed a few times, and Vivio mirrored that.

The air was getting thin, Yuuno realized. Alicia had calculated about 30 minutes of air, and it had been over that. So some air was getting in, but not much. He just might have to chance a teleport soon. And what's more, Alicia had told him that she had run calculations on the quake. It wasn't natural and it wasn't Quentin's fault; so what was the cause?

He paused as Alicia alerted him to something telepathically, then said, "I think there is a way...."

x~~*~~x

"No, move it over there!" the big man yelled. "Get that equipment in place so we can dig! We still have people trapped inside!"

"Excuse, are you Mr. Bolan?" a female voice asked.

He turned around to see two woman looking at him expectantly. "Who are you? This area is off limits except to Scrya tribe members and rescue personnel."

"My daughter, Vivio Takamachi is trapped in there, as is Yuuno Scrya," the other woman asked gently, but with worry in her voice. "Have they been rescued?"

"Not yet," he admitted. "If you're a mother to one of the trapped kids, who is the other girl? And who are you to Yuuno?"

"I'm also Vivio's mother," the golden-haired girl told him. "And Yuuno is-"

The brunette with the long pony-tail held out an arm in front of her friend, her eyes fierce. "Yuuno is my boyfriend. Our boyfriend."

Bolan took off his hard hat and scratched his head, confused. "Both of you?"

They nodded and said together, "Yes."

The big man laughed. "Well I'll be, that little runt never said a word. Two women." He shook his head and put his hat back on. "I'm sorry to say they are both still unaccounted for, but we have a specialist on site. We should be able to get them out soon, if they're still alive."

The two women's eyes grew wide with pained expressions.

"I-I mean, of course they are still alive!" Bolan insisted, waving his hands. "They're just trapped, yeah, we'll have them out soon, I promise!" The pony-tailed girl looked down, and he sighed. "Hey, he's a friend of mine, too."

"She's come out again with two more!" a male voice called out from farther away.

Bolan and the two women turned, as a figure emerged from the rocky wall and landed on her feet, releasing two children.

"Sein!" the pony-tailed brunette exclaimed, running up over there, the other woman taking off after her after a quick bow to Bolan.

He sighed and resumed his directions to the rest of the camp, hoping the two women wouldn't cause too much of an issue.

x~~*~~x

Nanoha held Fate's hand as Sein dove into the wall again. She had promised to find Yuuno and Vivio, having located the collapsed main cavern where the class had been. Most of the workers inside had already been rescued, as well as about half the class. But Sein could only carry out about 2-3 people per trip, and it was difficult finding her way through all the rock; there was no real place to stick her camera finger out to get her bearings.

Minutes passed, and the deep diver cyborg emerged again, releasing three coughing young boys. Immediately, she dove back in again without a word as the standby by medics began treating the boys.

Nanoha couldn't remember being more worried. She'd been in situations before, so why did she feel so anxious now? The realization came to her: it was because there was nothing she could do. She could try blasting an entrance, but that could do more harm than good. All she could do was stand around and wait, and it was driving her nuts.

And then her heart leapt into her throat as Sein reappeared, this time carrying two girls, nearly unconscious... and a still ferret.

"Yuuno!" she called, voice full of worry, running up to them as the medics took them off the cyborg. "Vivio! Are they....?"

"I think they're okay," Sein replied. "All three of them insisted I take the boys first. The air was fairly thin when I got there the first time."

The Scrya medical personnel laid all three on nearby cots, doing something to turn Yuuno back into a human,then fitted them all with oxygen masks. Vivio came around first, giving a weak smile and saying she was okay.

"I wouldn't... let anything.. happen to her," Yuuno's weak voice came from the cot next to it. "

"Yuuno!" Fate exclaimed, taking his hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," he told them. "I'm sorry about... what happened. I know how much... you love Vivio... I wouldn't let anything happen... to any of you. I love all of you...."

Nanoha's vision blurred a bit, as she felt tears in her eyes. His words reminded her of something important, of something she hadn't yet said.

"Nanoha-mama?" Vivio asked, sitting up. "Why are you sad?"

She wiped her eyes on her sleeve, then took Vivio's hand as her daughter jumped down to stand beside her mother. "Because I haven't said it to you, yet, have I? I'm sorry, Yuuno." She reached down with her other hand to clasp his hand in hers. "I love you, too, Yuuno. I love you, Fate. And I love you, Vivio. I'm glad you're all a part of my family."

Fate smiled. "That's what this is all about."

"So Yuuno is gonna be my papa?" Vivio asked, her eyes curious, but seemingly eager.

Nanoha nodded. "If he wants to."

Yuuno got up, sitting on the edge of the cot, smiling, and patted the young girl's hair. "I'd love to."

Hearing him say that, melted all the doubt in Nanoha's heart, and she was moved to wrap her arms around his neck. A hug that grew to include Fate and Vivio, making her family complete.

x~~*~~x

"These are pretty trees," one woman said. "I always did like this park."

"Yes, but summer is almost over, and fall is starting, so they'll start to fade," Beanna replied.

"Oh, you're always so negative, Beanna," Cela told her partner. "For once, just try enjoying what's there, without thinking negatively about the future."

"You're one to talk!" Beanna shot back, then her gaze shifted. "I think we're about to have a guest."

Cela turned, seeing a familiar woman break from her group and walk towards them, smiling. "Hey, it's her again. It looks like she's feeling better, so maybe she took our advice."

"Hello, pardon for intruding, but I wanted to thank you for the other day," Nanoha told them.

"It's no problem, glad we could help!" Beana offered. "It's always a pleasure to help young women like yourselves avoid... a... mistake..." Her voice trailed off as three others came up, a man on her right side, a woman on her left, and a young girl moving to stand in front of the first woman.

"Oh, it wasn't a mistake, although I admit I had been having doubts," Nanoha explained. "And while I am sure you two are happy with each other, I have to say I am equally happy with who I love, which is my family you see here. I couldn't ask for a better man or woman who I can take care of, and who can take care of me and my daughter.

She bowed. "So thank you for playing a part in helping me come to realize that I am blessed by who cares for me, and who I care for in return. I have more love than and acceptance than I could ask for. I am sure you feel the same for each other. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have an amusement park to get to."

The two women stared as the group moved off, not speaking for several long minutes.

"Men," Beanna uttered at last.

"Ruins everything," Cela agreed, nodding.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

Dedicated to a few people, some of which I won't name, but one in particular I'll talk about. I have a female friend who is in a threesome relationship; only hers is with 2 other guys. We talk a lot, and she's answered my questions, and I've talked with her guys. Threesome relationships can work just fine. She actually describes herself as "poly" which is a codeword for being able to love multiple people. While uncommon, they aren't as rare as you might think. In fact, once you get into the right circles, you'll find plenty of them (and relationships that entail bigger groups of people). They are probably just slightly less common than lesbian relationships.

Part of my motivation for writing the Nanoha/Fate/Yuuno threesome and this chapter in particular, was based on talks with my friend. I've done pairings to death in other fandoms, and I wanted to try something new, and explore the issues associated with it. And because Nanoha is all about different family units, a threesome fits well into that (the characters themselves lend themselves well to the possibility). Nanoha/Fate works just as fine as well; I just wanted to explore this angle.

Different strokes for different folks!^^

This is also partially a homage to RadiantBeam and Nanya's relationship series, which had the threesome long before I did. Good series, if you prefer more relationship focus over action/adventure!

If you do prefer action/adventure, or another story like Crisis, tune in next chapter for sneak peaks at future chapters of Red Jewel Diaries and two other series I am working as continuations!

On a lighter note, Keijy is my chibi-fied name. That's right; I self-inserted myself as a second-grader. NO ONE HAS EVER DONE THAT BEFORE! (and yes, I always strove to be the teacher's pet at that age ^_^)


	3. Heritage Part 1

**Red Jewel Diaries**

**Chapter 3: Heritage**

Xx~~*~~xX

Nanoha: _"I come from a loving home, with two wonderful parents and two great siblings. Despite the choices I have made, I know I can count on their love and support no matter what I do. So sometimes it's hard to understand what someone else like Fate has gone through. Her family situation was as different compared to mine as it could possibly be. Yet, even when we thought we knew everything about it already, Fate was thrown a curve ball that none of us expected."_

X~~*~~X

"Okay, here we go, twelve peaches," the elderly fruit stand vendor said, placing the produce into my cloth bag. "And I saved these ones especially for you!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Benna," I replied, smiling as I scanned my payment card. I did notice that the ones she was giving me looked a bit plumper than the others sitting on the stands. "These do look extra juicy today!"

The old woman chuckled, adjusting her glasses. "The harvest went especially well this year, and you and your family have been such good, steady customers over the years, so you deserve it. You guuys really seem to like my peaches in particular."

"It's funny," I noted with amusement, picking up one of the stand peaches and looking at it. "I used to hate these as a child, but now I really love them. Nanoha didn't like them at first, either, but now she's really grown on them, and. I think we're getting Vivio into them as well."

I could still remember the first time Nanoha had made me try some; my first bite ended up with me drooling all over my chin and shirt, much to Nanoha's amusement. Linith used to feed me a variety of Mid-Childa fruits as a child, and I remember not liking the juicier ones because of that. But for some reason, now I do.

"Speaking of Vivio, I haven't seen that dear girl in awhile," Mrs. Benna remarked. "Nanoha tends to bring her along occasionally, but I haven't seen her with you. You'll need to bring her by sometime." She paused, her faded blue eyes glazing slightly, as if seeing some far off place. "Seeing you three makes me wish I had daughters of my own."

I added the new bag of produce to my left arm. "I'll do that sometime, perhaps this weekend, as she's usually in school during the week when Nanoha or I normally go shopping." I stole a quick glance at the time, a digital clock farther up the street, then turned back and waved. "Well, I have to pick a few more things for dinner tonight. Take care!"

"You, too, dear!" the elderly woman replied, returning my wave as I moved away.

I had most of the supplies she needed, but there were a couple of other stalls I needed to stop at before I headed back home. This old-time market street was one of our favorite places to shop; the locals set up their own stalls with fresh meats and produce, which Nanoha and I felt were far superior than the big grocery chains. And it was also close by, which I learned later was one of the reasons Nanoha had chosen her particular housing location; it reminded her of her home neighborhood.

Normally, Nanoha did the shopping on the way back from teaching her classes, but there were occasional times like today when I found free time and wanted to contribute in this way. It made me feel more a part of the family, especially since my work usually kept me out in the field for long periods of time.

I finished picking up the groceries in no time, and made my way back to the house. Nanoha turned around and smiled at me from the kitchen as I entered the living room.

"Find everything okay?" Nanoha asked, stepping into the living room a bit to meet me, and take a couple of the bags off my arms. She already had her apron on, and the smells drifting across let me know she was starting on dinner. "Yuuno-kun is staying at the library tonight due to a higher workload, so it's just us two tonight."

I nodded, looking around, wondering why it was so quiet. "Did Arf already leave with Vivio?"

"Yeah, she was real excited about spending the weekend on Earth with my parents," the other girl replied, unable to hide her smile as she put the bags down on the counter and began to empty them. "Of course, mom has been bugging me for quite awhile now, wanting to spend some time with Vivio. Once she got over her shock, that is."

I chuckled at that, remembering how Momoko Takamachi had reacted on our last visit. Nanoha's parents were a far cry from my first mother, and they welcomed me so openly when I got to know them.

Parents. For some reason the words rung in my head. Nanoha knew who her father and mother were, which made me think about that envelope upstairs, sitting in my dresser. I had resisted the urge so far, wondering if the desire would fade with time, and whether I'd really end up caring or not. I didn't use to really care, but Jail's tauntings really got to me, and I didn't want his words to be true. Even now, I still felt a bit of fear, but my feelings about finding out hadn't changed much; I still found myself with the urge to know.

"Fate-chan?" Nanoha questioned, waving a celery stalk in front of the my eyes, which brought me out of my thoughts. Her eyes were full of concern.

I realized I had had allowed my thoughts to carry me away from the present, and I blinked to bring myself back. "Sorry, Nanoha, my mind wandered for a bit. I need to go check on something real quick. I'll be back down in a bit to help with dinner in a few minutes."

I knew Nanoha was watching me as I left the living room and headed for the stairs, but my thoughts were focused on something else.

X~~*~~X

The small, manila envelope still felt the same, as I held it in my hands while sitting on the edge of the bed. It had been a few months now, and as I suspected, I still felt the same way. Perhaps it wasn't important in the grand scheme of things, but I felt that I had to know; it would always be hanging over me, otherwise. I took a deep breath, opened the envelope and unfolded the papers within.

Internally, I felt a huge sense of relief as I read that I had a 0% match with Jail, but as I continued reading, I felt my body go tingly and numb.

_Clyde Harlaown!?_

How the hell could that possibly be? Dazed and light-headed, part of my mind was trying to picture my mother with Lindy's husband, whom I had seen in old pictures, but that merely made my disbelief grow.

"This has to be a mistake," I said out loud to myself, mostly to try and steady my nerves. There's no way he could be Alicia's father, could he? And what would Lindy say if she found out?

"Fate-chan?" came the soft inquiry, and my head instinctively went up, seeing Nanoha standing in the doorway. I hadn't even noticed the fact that she had opened the door and stepped in."Are you alright?"

My mouth opened, but no sound came out; what could I say? Nanoha came over to her and took a hold of the piece of paper. Resigned, I let it go in defeat, letting my friend and partner read it. I could hear her soft intake of breath; she was probably as surprised as I was.

"Clyde Harlaown?" Nanoha questioned, sitting down beside me on the bed. "Does that mean he's Alicia's father? Are you sure Shamal is right about this?"

I lifted my head, realizing that, in my daze, my mind hadn't really considered that. "It has to be. I mean, there's no way... is there?"

Nanoha folded up the paper and handed it back to me, and I shakily took it. "Well, you could always recheck with her. But even if it's true, what are you going to do about it?"

"If true, that means that my mother knew Clyde, which means there's a lot about her past I don't know," I said slowly, the numbness in my mind slowly beginning to wear off and my detective juices starting to flow. "I want to know this could even be possible. This information changes a lot of things."

"Does it?" Nanoha questioned, laying a soft hand on my arm. "I told you long ago, that even if Jail was biologically your father, it didn't change who you were, and how I thought of you. And you know Yuuno and everyone else feels the same way."

I met her deep blue eyes, seeing the love and acceptance there, which somehow worked it's way through the thinning fog in my mind. "I need to see Shamal first, and if it's true, I think my mother, Lindy, has a right to know. Beyond that... I feel like I have to know how this is possible. I always considered Alicia's father to be mine, but somehow he didn't feel that important, because I never even knew what a father should be like until I met yours. But if it really is Clyde, than I have closer ties to Lindy's family than I realized, and somehow, that makes it more important."

"I didn't think of it quite that way, but you're right," Nanoha admitted to me. "Dad was an important figure in my life, and you do deserve to know what kind of person yours was. So, you're going to see Shamal first?"

I stood and nodded. "As I said, if it's true, I need to tell Lindy. And perhaps she'll have more of an idea about what Clyde could have been doing back then." I folded the letter and slipped it back into the envelope, then smiled as Nanoha stood. "But that can wait until tomorrow. Let's get dinner going, shall we?"

Nanoha smiled back and we headed back downstairs. She did her best to keep me distracted as we prepared and ate dinner, but the questions kept flowing through my head. If the answers were out there, I would find them.

x~~*~~x

My first stop the next day was at Shamal's office, where she showed me how she arrived at her results. She explained that it had surprised her, too, so she ran the tests multiple times, checking for errors. But in the end, she realized it was true; I had a large number of DNA matches with a sample taken from Clyde Harlaown. While I didn't understand all the technical aspects, I realized Shamal was very sure everything was correct, and I trusted her judgment.

She had even ran tests against Chrono, and there were lesser matches there. We were definitely blood-related, strange as that was sounding.

With that out of the way, I knew the next stop had to be back at the Harlaown home on Earth, where Lindy was still living. I had grown up there after Lindy had adopted me, and it was full of happy memories. It was also where Amy had retired to raise her's and Chrono's two children, but I managed to arrange a visit when it was just Lindy at the moment.

On the trip over, scenes played out in my mind. How would she react to the fact that her husband had been with another woman? What would I even say? How could I even approach the topic? Do I just hand her the paper and say, "Congrats, I'm the secret daughter of your husband!"? I almost chuckled at that thought, as it could have been the headline of a tabloid, or a declaration given on a sordid afternoon talk show.

But I was here now, and as I took a sip from my tea, I made sure it didn't have anything extra in it. I knew my conversation partner to be a bit... exotic in regards to her beverages. A few times she had tried to sneak me something "special" that I usually didn't try a second time. But this time I almost wished she had; it would delay what I eventually had to tell her.

"So, you have something big on your mind, and you aren't sure how to ask me," Lindy Harlaown declared as she doctored up her own cup from the other side of the living room table.

I grimaced; I should have realized she could read me by now. "Is it that obvious?"

"A mother notices these things," Lindy replied, smirking slighty as she stirred her tea. "But I do appreciate the visits, regardless of reason. So tell me, what's on your mind?"

"When did you meet your husband?" was the first question off my lips. I still wondering in my mind the best way to approach the issue, and hoped this was a safe way to ease into it.

Lindy took a sip and sat back. "Clyde? Oh, we were pretty young when I first saw him. I think I was one of many girls who had a crush on him. I was 15 at the time, and he was one of the rising stars in the Bureau. His training classes were very popular."

I bit my lip, unsure how to phrase it. "How well did you know him? How much of his past, prior to you meeting him, did he tell you?"

Lindy studied me, then set her teacup down. "Perhaps you should tell me more about where you are coming from. Are you worried about your relationship with Nanoha and Yuuno?"

I could feel my cheeks began to burn slightly; despite my forwardness with my two partners to get them together, it still seemed somewhat embarrassing to hear someone talk about it, especially coming from my mother.

"No, not really, I..." I stopped and sighed. I couldn't just continue to dance around the issue. I reached into my inner pocket and pulled out the envelope, and handed it to Lindy. She deserved to know.

I watched for her reaction with the morbid fascination of a train wreck in progress, but she simply frowned as she read the letter, and then flatly stated, "This is impossible."

"I know it seems unlikely, but my DNA is based off Alicia's, so there is a chance he could be her father," I explained, bowing my head slightly. "I apologize for intruding into this, as I know that no one wants to think that their husband had an affair with another woman."

My mother looked up. "No, you don't understand, this has to be a mistake." She reached up and produced a floating window, typing into it. "I've had some data stored from the incident, part of the records of your life and situation. Ah, here it is: The accident that killed Alicia happened in 0039. She was about 7 years old at the time, which puts her birth sometime around the year 0032. Clyde was born in the year 0022; he would have only been 10 years old at the time."

My eyes widened, as Lindy pointed out that fact; why didn't I realize it sooner? "Of course! But that would mean Shamal was wrong, and she was quite sure when I visited her yesterday. She was surprised when she found out, too, and ran the test several times, checking for any errors. There weren't any. Biologically, Clyde is my father."

Lindy sat back, and I could see her brow furrow in contemplation. "Well, some boys do enter puberty at earlier ages. It's possible he might have, but I don't see how he could do such a thing at that age, or why he would. He never said anything to me about it, nor was he the type to hide things from me. All I know is that he graduated early from the academy as an extremely talented 10 year old, and was serving on Mid-Childa for his first few years after, so I suppose it's possible he met her somehow."

"It could have happened without his knowledge, too," I suggested, partially trying to comfort her from the bombshell I had dropped, but also thinking. "Back on Alhazard, my mother, Precia, refused to tell me who Alicia's father was, adding that it was because of a promise she had made. My early record checking after that incident, indicated she had a husband for 1-2 years, but divorced him shortly after Alicia was born. There was no record of his name."

"Then I suggest you look more into Precia's past, if you want to solve this," Lindy offered. "I'll do some discrete checking into Clyde's past, as I know people who owe me favors, and I'll let you know if I find anything. Have you asked Hayate for help? She's in Naval investigations now, which is where Clyde eventually ended up serving. I'm sure she'd be glad to help."

I shook my head; I could just imagine the kind of rumors this might stat if word got around. Once I had the truth, well, only then I could handle it. "No, this isn't an official investigation, so I want as few people involved as possible. If I really run up against dead ends, I might ask." And this just felt like something I had to solve on my own, although I couldn't put exactly why into words at the moment.

Another screen opened up, showing the time and playing a musical melody, startling Lindy and causing her to sigh.

"I'm sorry, Fate," Lindy apologized. "I have to go pick up Karel and Liera from school now, while Amy is away on her vacation with Chrono. I completely forgot that school ended earlier today."

I stood, giving her a smile to let her know it was alright; I was just glad it hadn't gone over relatively well. "It's okay, I got some more information to work with, and I have a few other leads to follow up. I just wanted to inform you first, as I'm not sure where it could lead."

Lindy walked me to the door, rubbing my upper back with her right hand. "Of course, it's fine. Even if Clyde somehow is responsible, it's okay." She surprised me with a tight hug once we had reached the front door. "It just means you are more my daughter than I first realized. So I'm glad you told me. I want you to feel free to tell me anything, no matter how you feel I might take it."

I felt felt a tear in my eye and whispered a "Thank you." Lindy was every bit the mother I could have asked for, and then some. It was times like this, when I better understood where Nanoha came from. A loving mother was a wonderful thing.

But as I left the place, I couldn't help but wonder what the end result of all this would be, and if I should really look into it. I was till nervous, and I had a bad feeling of what I might be in for. But for now, my detective instincts had a mystery, and thus I was letting them pull me along.

I'd just have to hope it was the right thing to do.

x~~*~~x

With that taken care of, I returned to Mid-Childa and wondered where to go next. Lindy had suggested I look into Precia's past, but something else nagged at my memory: I recalled that Jail kept insisting that he was Alicia's father. There were no real records of his early years; I assumed the council had suppressed and destroyed them. But he did have some contact with Precia, so when was their first meeting? It might help shed some light if I knew exactly when and where they connected.

Using my computer, I pulled up some information. The first cyborgs to be activated, were Uno, Due, Tre, Cinque and Quattro. The first two were dead, and Cinque had already offered up everything she knew when she was rehabilitated almost two years ago. But it was possible Quattro and Tre might be holding some information, so I made that my next stop. If they could narrow down my search parameters, it would save time.

Thus, my first stop in my investigation was the Maritime Rehabilitation Facility.

"I really don't know much," Tre told me, shrugging, beginning to deflate that hope. "I wasn't involved in the deeper plans, not that I cared. I was just content to fight."

"How about you, Quattro?" I asked, wondering if I'd actually get anything from her. Nanoha seemed to hold some regard for her, and it was the first time I really began to question Nanoha's sensibilities. Out of all the cyborgs, Quattro was one of the more... difficult ones.

She shrugged. "Uno and Due were activated first, but I was mentored by Due, and given more command training. Because of my role as a rear commander, I had a certain... awareness of the bigger pictures and some of the secret operations. I gather that the doctor had a number of secret projects going on in his earlier years, but even I didn't know the full extent of them." She turned to look at me, her eyes looking up and down as she studied me. "But I told your superiors all this already, so you should know this. Why are you here now, hmmm?"

I decided to be a bit frank and hope for the best. "I was looking for any information about when Jail knew Precia, and what the contents of those meetings entailed. Something that may not have come up during your debriefings. Specifically, about Alicia."

Quattro slowly smiled, giving me a look somewhat like a mountain lion finding a trapped, delicious badger for breakfast, and I had just fed her. "He was originally a legitimate researcher, but he also had his fingers in many other pies. I gather he was older than he looked, but I never asked. He was eventually expelled due to illegal research, but he maintained numerous contacts; Precia Testarossa was one of them. I'm not sure what role he had with Alicia, though; I just know that he believed he was Alicia's father, and that they had contact many years ago with regards to cloning technology, before my birth. But I'm afraid that's all I can tell you. Uno probably knew more, but there was much I wasn't privy to. I do hope it helps you in some way."

What was her game? She seemed to be acting strangely helpful almost sound sincere, but was it the truth or was she just teasing me? Knowing Quattro, it could be either, but I doubt I'd be able to get the real truth, if there was one. Still, it was something, and perhaps I could give her the benefit of the doubt for now, for Nanoha's sake. Plus, she wasn't telling me much I didn't already know. This was turning out to be dead end, but I didn't expect this investigation to end this quickly.

I bowed, a habit I picked up from my time on Earth. "Thank you for sharing what you know with me. If it proves useful, I'll let you know, and I'll see what I can do for you."

Tre laid back in the grass and waved her hand, clearly not impressed, and Quattro just chuckled mysteriously.

x~~*~~x

After that visit, I was left with plain old research, which I had been avoiding, but now found myself sitting in front of my computer terminal in my office. It was time to do some old-fashioned digging. Lindy had given me the first real clue that Clyde was on Mid-Childa at the same time as Precia, in the timeframe that Alicia would have been conceived. But things didn't add up. 10-years-old was pushing it, for when a male would enter puberty and could father a child. What had Precia been up to?

I tapped away, searching for anything about Precia Testarossa in her earlier years. There weren't many records about my mother's past as I had looked into them a bit before, but deeper searching did furnish me with some new information. When combined with the data Lindy had forwarded, my own digging into the Bureau's record division had yielded some new insights. Foremost among, was a photograph taken long ago.

Since I decided to start with the time leading up to the time-frame where Alicia was born, I concentrated on those specific records. My mother had been head of a scientific group that was researching extracting energy from other dimensions; in fact, she had been the 3rd head of Scientific Development. There were still quite a few records from that time, and equally as many that were classified or lost. The ones I did find, were mostly status reports and and thesis papers; nothing that would help me.

However, there was a singular photograph that gave me my first real clue. In it, my mother sat, smiling, while six other scientists stood behind her; it was Precia's research group, the only such photograph taken during their time on the project. The results of the project were eventually listed as a failure, and the group was split up. My counseling after the Jewel Seed incident included finding out that it was Precia's secret development on Hydra that was the point of failure, and caused the death of Alicia.

I sat back in my computer chair and stretched, then reached for my coffee cup, finding it quite hot still. I blinked, realizing that I hadn't even noticed Teana come and set it down. It was one of the small things she did for me, when she realized I was engrossed in a project. I'd have to remember to thank her later.

My mind came back to the photograph. Who were those other scientists? How well did they know my mother? Were they even still around? That was my next search query. I did some more digging, and began to peel back the layers. I found the names of the scientists involved in the project, and eventually matched up the names to the faces, as well as what the official record showed as a final disposition. I made a list for my convenience:

Dr. Precia Testarossa - Deceased

Dr. Howard Grahms – Deceased

Dr. Bennie Lewure – MIA

Dr. Joland Whyte – teacher at Clanagan University

Dr. Iro Gonfried – Retired to Glennish Retirement Home

Dr. Raquel Zettin – MIA

Dr. Leana Fryk – Deceased

I sat back in my computer chair again, and tapped my chin while I mentally processed the information. Most of the group was seemingly out of reach, but there were two I could easily track down. With any luck, the people who knew my mother could shed some light on Clyde or Alicia, and who her father was.

x~~*~~x

The third stop in my investigation brought me to Clanagan University, as Dr. Joland Whyte was closest, so I decided to start with him. His records were also the most complete, so I had a pretty good idea of his life. After Precia's project was shut down due to the accident, he was moved around to several other smaller projects dealing with different energy sources and topics that were way above my head. Some of which were classified and some weren't. He eventually retired to teach, although I assumed he was under some observation to make sure he didn't spill any classified information to his students.

It didn't take her long to find his classroom, and as I watched from the open door at the top of the classroom, I was struck by how old he looked. His hair had thinned and mostly turned grayish-white, his thick spectacles resting on a hawkish nose. Then I realized that many years had gone by since the time of the photograph, and he was in his 70s by now. And yet, given the enthusiasm he displayed as he taught to his students, and the way they were enraptured by his stories and explanations, he seemed much younger. He gave the appearance of someone who really loved teaching.

As the bell rung, he raised his voice, almost shouting as he told his students, "Remember your assignments for the week are due by Friday. I want your papers then, regardless of how complete they may be!"

He chuckled as his students moaned, and I had to smile. My own memories of school were some of my best, and although I never really went to a university, I could recall my days in Nanoha's classes with much fondness. Nanoha, Arisa, Suzuka, and I, and later Hayate, had a number of fun years; it was during those times, that I really noticed what I had missed growing up. Linith had been my only tutor before, and I hadn't known any other children, besides Arf.

The old teacher noticed my approach among the departing students, pushing his glasses up on his nose as he took a good look at me. "Well now, I don't remember taking out a personal ad, to deserve such an appearance by such a beautiful young woman."

I smiled, amused; he came off as more harmless teasing than any sort of lechery. "I'm sorry for bothering you, Doctor. My name is Fate Testarossa Harlaown. I wonder if I could have a few minutes of your time?"

"Testarossa, huh?" he noted, gathering up his teaching materials and books. "Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time, other than the more recent incident half a year ago. Any relation? You'll have to walk with me as I head to my next class."

The old scientist-turned-teacher finished gathering up his books and folders and placed them into several cloth bags, which he carried two and draped the other two on his arms. I followed him as he left the classroom, noting he seemed rather spry for a man his age as he greeted passing students in a friendly manner. But then again, Clanagan's medical technology was far superior to Earth's. In some ways, 50 was the new 30.

"That's partially what I wanted to talk about," I explained when we got a moment. "I'm Precia's daughter, sort of. I'm actually a clone of Alicia. I am actually trying to find out who Alicia's father was, and wondered if you had any insight since you were two were on a project together for many years."

"Hmmm, not too much, I'm afraid," he told me, apologetic. "I was a young, rather eager scientist back then, more interested in the work I was doing, then personal lives. The possibility of extra-dimensional energy was exciting, but the research was canceled after the accident. And then again, Precia never talked about herself beyond work." He paused as we stepped into an elevator. "Could you be a dear and hit floor 5? My hands are a bit full."

I obliged him, and after the doors slid shut, asked, "So you don't know anything about Alicia or who Precia might have been seeing?"

"It was a long time ago," he reminded me. "I do recall when her pregnancy began to show, and then having a girl a few months later; she was away for periods during that time, although she did bring the young girl by quite a few times. Sweet thing. But she never said who the father was, I'm sorry. One of my colleagues from back then might know more; perhaps Raquel Zettin. I recall the two of them being a bit close."

"Unfortunately the records show her as Missing," I replied with a heavy sigh. "She moved out of the city many years ago, and the Bureau lost track of her shortly after that. Any idea where she might have gone?"

"No, but I do recall her liking the country," he answered, stepping out as the elevator doors opened. "She used to joke about how she'd retire to a farm or mountain cabin and enjoy the simple life. Looks like she might have done it, too, heh. Who else have you got a lead on?"

I showed him the list of names, hoping something would jog his memory. "I was planning to talk with Dr. Gonfried next, as the location for him is listed."

His chuckling reaction surprised me. "Good luck. Iro was always a bit loopy, even back then; he hasn't aged too well. But I do recall him having a crush on Raquel, so maybe he knows where she went; she always turned him down, and I think it finally drove him insane. Oh, and I can verify Howard and Leana's deaths, as I attended their funerals. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a class to teach. I'm sorry I couldn't be more help, but if you need something, feel free to give me a holler!"

I bowed and thanked him. "I will, thanks for your time, Doctor."

"Call me Joland!" he told her, grinning as he stepped back through the door, then turned and greeted his next class as the bell sounded.

As he disappeared inside, a bit disappointed that I hadn't learned more. But as I looked at the list, I hoped Joland was wrong about Dr. Gonfried, and that I could learn something.

"Where's my nuts!?" the cranky elderly patient demanded. "I can't end my day without my nuts! And my fruit!"

Unfortunately, it looked like my fourth investigation stop was to be as equally fruitless, in a manner of speaking. Joland had warned me, and so had the nurse who guided me here to visit with this patient. I had no idea how Iro had been in the old days, but he definitely hadn't aged as well as Joland had.

The former scientist fixed me, sitting across the small table from him, with a mean glare. "Have you seen my nuts!? Are you hiding them!?"

I sighed; yes, I had been warned. "No, I'm sorry, I haven't. Could you tell me anything about Precia Testarossa or Raquel Zettin?"

"Bah, forget Precia," he told me curtly, waving his hand, then promptly turned sad with tears in his eyes. "Raquel never loved me. She was just using me, leading me around. She was supposed to be my woman, but she was unfaithful; I know, I spied on her! Running around with that mystery man of hers!"

"So who was this mystery man?" I asked, growing a bit interested, but my expectations for learning anything were dropping lower. Hopefully he'd let something slip that would give me another clue; I was running out of people to talk to.

He banged the table with his fist. "I could never find out! But I know she was seein' someone on the side. Always hush hush and sneaking around. I once asked Precia about it, but she just laughed at me. Can you believe it!? Thinking she was some great smartypants mage scientist; I could do circles around her in magical calculations!"

I had the distinct impression this conversation was going around in circles. "I'm sure you could," I agreed, nodding. "But we were talking about Raquel; do you know where she disappeared to?"

"She ran away with him!" he nearly yelled, suddenly growing angry. He seemed to switch moods more often than I popped cartridges. "Can you believe it!? She had me, and she ran away with him to the southern continent!"

My ears perked up. "Do you know where on the southern continent?"

"Lost track of her around Gruin," he grumbled, folding his arms across his chest, looking much like a child who had their favorite toy taken away. "Bennie bet me three smuggled bottles of Blecont Firewater that I wouldn't find her, too. And he could get that good stuff easily! Cost me a couple months of my paycheck when I lost. It's a good thing he left the scientific field for the private sector, or I would have embarrassed him as revenge!"

Gruin was a small town not too far away from here, I recalled, picturing a map in my head. Not too remarkable, but it had a reputation as one of those towns where who you were didn't matter; people often used it to hide, or have some fun without others caring if you had ID or not. It would make sense that the Bureau lost track of her there; it was an ideal place to disappear to.

"Do you know anything about who Precia might have been seeing?" I asked, somewhat hopeful.

Those hopes were dashed. "Who cares about Precia!? That bitch destroyed our years of research. Raquel is all that matters! And where are my nuts!?"

I sighed as the conversation rewound back to the beginning. Further conversation would apparently be pointless, as he only wanted to talk about Raquel, but he had given me all he had on that subject. I'd have to seek leads elsewhere. I gave up and stood as a nurse entered, carrying a basket wrapped in clear plastic, with a small red bow on top.

"Your care package is here, Mr. Gonfried," she announced with a smile, setting it down in front of him, then rapidly backing away.

I could see why, as the crazy elderly patient tore into it with zeal; if someone got too close, they would risk losing an arm.

"At last, my nuts and fruit!" he cried with glee, popping open one of the nut containers and popping them like pills.

"I apologize for his actions, and hope you got something useful out of him," the nurse said, turning to me. "He can be difficult to deal with. He wasn't much better when he first got here, and he hasn't improved. We can do so much nowadays, but nothing much for when the brain deteriorates."

"It's alright," I replied as the nurse led me out, but inwardly still felt a bit frustrated. "I shouldn't have expected much."

But that only left a question of where to go next.

Gruin one of the more technologically advanced towns, similar to Clanagan but a quarter the size. It was also an expected dead-end for my fifth stop; no one there could tell me if they had seen anything. I suspected that, even if someone had, they wouldn't tell me just in principle. What happens in Gruin, stays in Gruin, apparently. I admit, I had hoped that Raquel's picture might jog someone's memory, but after full day of searching, I gave up on that lead and called it a dead end. Iro was right; it was impossible to find someone in that town.

However, there was one useful thing I had learned from the crazy Iro. Bennie was another one of the scientists on the project, and Iro had let slip that he could smuggle things into the city. Blecont Firewater was a dangerous beverage, with high levels of alcoholic content. It was manufactured on a special reserve near the equator in low quantities, thus there was always a limited supply, making it have high demand. It was also one of the few liquids that the Bureau had banned within Clanagan. A dangerously intoxicated mage was an issue, in a crowded city.

But all that meant Bennie had connections.

Smuggling was a common activity among humankind. As long as society dictated that certain things were off limits, there would be people who would desire them. And thus, people to supply it. In my line of work, I had come to gain a great deal of understanding in the workings of smuggling around Mid-Childa.

So the following day, I shook up a few of my old smuggling informants for my sixth lead, and managed to track down the people who handled the illegal liquor trade. And thus I struck paydirt: apparently there was some old guy known only as "Ben" who occasionally helped to assist in smuggling of various low-threat items; stuff that, while illegal, wouldn't necessarily bring down the Bureau's wrath. Rumor had it that he used to deal in slightly more dangerous items... like Blecont Firewater.

By hinting that I needed some items to be smuggled, I got an address which led a rented apartment in a run-down neighborhood, close to the southern dock district. A knock on the door got no response, initially. Then it cracked open, and I could see part of a scruffy man's face on the other side of an old security chain that would prevent the door from being opened further.

"What do you want?" he told me gruffly. I got the feeling he wasn't too thrilled about visitors, but given his line of work, I suppose that was justified.

"I'd just like to talk to you for a bit," I told him, still wearing my disguise of a trenchcoat and and matching hat to hide my hair and facial features. Bardiche had a number of outfits designed to mask my appearance, for when I required subterfuge.

"I don't want to talk," he barked at her, beginning to close the door. "Go away." It slammed shut in my face.

I grew upset; I didn't come this far to be denied now. "I've come to talk, and I'm not leaving until I get some answers!"

If he held the answers I needed, I wasn't about to let him off this easily. Bardiche formed fully in my hand, and I pried the wooden door open easily, breaking the security chain. The small living room just inside was mostly bare, except for a few small pieces of furniture, but there was no sign of the man. However, I heard a noise coming from the next room, and a bad feeling forming in my gut as I sprinted to the doorway, just in time to see his balding head disappear from an open window. I couldn't believe it; he was running!

I flew to the second-story window and leapt out, noting that he was already on the ground and moving very quickly. As I dropped down and flew after him, a small part of my mind was impressed, and another small part didn't recall the records mentioning him having any sort of magical powers. Was he just very agile for a man his age?

I didn't give it much additional thought, however, as I activated my Impulse Form Barrier Jacket and continued pursuit. He quickly disappeared around a warehouse corner, and I prepared to activate a Sonic Move to capture him once he was back in view.

But as I turned the same corner, I found him gone. He couldn't have gotten too far; there was no way a man his age on foot could outrun me. I touched down on the ground, walking slowly and studying the terrain. He must have hidden himself some place, so he should still be close by.

That's when I heard the high-pitched whine of a squeaky door closing. I dashed across the dockside of the warehouse, and around the next corner between it and the next building, just in time to see the wood door close. I threw it open and sprinted inside, my training taking over to deflect the magical shot with a Round Shield once inside.

The voluminous warehouse was dark, but I could make out a shadowy shape sprinting up some stairs across the other side. But there was more: dozens of other shapes were pouring in from other entrances, surrounding me, both on ground level and on the upper walkways. One thing became crystal clear:

I had just walked into a trap.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

In the movie manga, there is a photograph of Precia's research group. For all intents and purposes, I'm using that photograph as the one Fate is using. Also, this was originally written in third-person, but being a detective story, I decided first person would be better. Hope it works! Also, this was originally planned as one chapter, but there was much material I needed to include, so splitting it into two.

Lastly, thanks to Alavon for proofreading this rewrite. I plan to do a short rewrite of part 2 by tomorrow or so.


	4. Heritage Part 2

**Red Jewel Diaries**

**Chapter 4: Heritage (Part 2)**

Xx~~*~~xX

Fate: _"Clyde and Precia were on Mid-childa at around the time-frame for Alicia's conception. Yet there were no actual records putting them together, and he seemed to be a bit too young at the time, so the puzzles pieces didn't fit. While I had a few ideas on that, I felt I couldn't rest until I discovered the truth. Several of my leads gave me some promising tidbits, but it was this latest lead that made me feel like I might actually be getting somewhere. However, it was only afterward that made me realize how wrong and off-track I had actually gotten...."_

x~~*~~x

I gathered my magical electrical energy in my right hand, forming a dozen Photon Lancer shots around me. I wouldn't be taken down here. If these hooligans thought they could stop an S+ rank Bureau Agent, they had another thing coming; in fact, after all the frustrations so far, I was itching for a good fight to let off some steam.

"You are under arrest," a female voice announced, that seemed somehow familiar. "Throw down your weapon and surrender, and you'll be given the chance to defend yourself at trial."

I blinked in surprise, canceling my spell. "Are you Bureau enforcers? I'm Agent Fate T. Harlaown. Identify yourselves."

"Fate?" the female voice said, incredulous.

And then the lights went on, revealing the shadowy shapes as enforcers, pointing their staff weapons at me. The female that the voice belonged to, leapt down from one of the walkways above and strode towards me, her familiar orange pony-tails bobbing slightly as she walked. I knew I should have recognized that voice....

"It is you!" Teana Lanster noted with surprise. "What are you doing here!? Last we talked, you were taking several days off to pursue a personal matter." She turned to the enforcers. "Stand down, it appears we had a mix-up."

"Teana!" I exclaimed. Of all the warehouses in all the neighborhoods, I had to walk into hers. I sighed. "I was hoping to talk to the man I pursued in here; is he still around?"

"Yes and no," my partner replied, her expression unreadable. "If you were looking for Bennie Lewure, he died several days ago from a heart attack. We kept the death quiet, and hoped to use his identity to catch a bigger fish."

My hopes died again. "I see. Well, I apologize for ruining your trap."

Teana waved it off. "It wasn't a big deal, and was kind of a long shot in any respect. Plus, we have other leads we can follow up on. Is there anything you need help with?"

I hesitated, then remembered I had promised myself to be more open with my junior partner; she was my partner and I needed her to trust me. I launched into a brief explanation as we left the warehouse, shifting back into my civilian clothes. Her expression was still unreadable when I finished.

"I see," Tea said simply, but looking more sympathetic now. "I suppose I can't help much after all, but I appreciate that you for told me. Of course, I'll keep it to myself, but ff I hear something that might help, I'll let you know."

I thanked her, then headed off on my own, back to my car that I had left several blocks away. My thoughts drifted along the way, as I crossed Bennie's name off the list. Of the three names that were left, Howard Grahms, Raquel Zettin, and Leana Fryk, two were deceased. I received back information on the death certificates; they were genuine and signed by doctors with good reputations. Howard had died in a skiing accident, and Leana had been fatally stabbed multiple times by a mugger and bled to death before help arrived.

So that left Raquel. More and more, I felt that she was the key somehow, but how could I find the woman? She could be anywhere on the planet, or even off-planet, or even dead by now. I was also getting a real bad feeling that I was overlooking something, but what? As I stared at her smiling, glasses-wearing picture, something niggled at the back of my mind. On a hunch, I forwarded her picture to Shari with a request for an artificial aging; what would she look like today?

Entering my car and sitting down, I received an incoming call, and Nanoha's face appeared onscreen as I answered it. "How are things going, Fate-chan?"

"Not too good, I'm afraid," I told her, starting the car up and letting out a long sigh. "My last lead went nowhere, and I'm running out of ideas."

"Would you like to come for dinner tonight and talk about it?" she asked, her voice full of concern.

At first, I started to feel like that, then noticed the time; it would be fairly late by the time I got back. "Go ahead and eat without me, as it would take too long for me to get over there, and I don't want you waiting that long. I'll grab something to eat around here, and be home later tonight."

I knew Nanoha wouldn't take offense at all, as her smile showed; she was one of the most supportive and caring people I knew. "Alright. Try not to get too down, though, you'll figure it out; the truth is out there!"

I paused, taking a look at my best friend and partner while raising an eyebrow. "Nanoha, you've been re-watching that series again, haven't you?"

She put a hand behind her head and chuckled nervously through her innocent-looking smile. "I'm not sure what you mean, Fate-chan. Anyway, take care, and I'll see you later tonight!"

She signed off and I drove away, smiling slightly to myself, amused. Nanoha didn't mind being alone from time to time, so she could watch shows like that one that none of the rest of us liked, so I knew she'd be kept entertained. And we all needed time to ourselves occasionally, so it was part of the threesome agreement that we'd give each other that space and time when needed.

But that just left me wondering to do with myself.

Feeling my stomach rumble, I eventually pulled over and parked in front of a nearby bar and restaurant. It wasn't someplace I normally went, although I had been here a few times on cases, to meet slightly-less-than legal contacts and informants. It wasn't sleazy; on the contrary, it was fairly nice for the part of town it was in. And the food wasn't bad, either.

I told the waiter inside she was just a party of one, but then both he and I were surprised as someone else called my name.

"Yoohoo, Fate, over here!" Vice called, waving from a booth. "Why don't you join us?"

I shrugged and indicated to the waiter I was fine with that, and was promptly seated across from Vice and Signum. "What are you two doing here?"

"Vice suggested this eating establishment, but I have yet to see the benefits of this place," Signum replied, looking a bit embarrassed, and much like a fish out of water. It was unusual to see her in such casual clothes, but I had to admit she looked a bit prettier than normal; I'd have to tease her about it later. "I told him I'd be just fine eating at the cafeteria on base."

"Aw, where's the fun in that?" he shot back. "You gotta get out and explore new things! Food is more than just getting the nutrition in; it's an experience, and one best shared with comrades."

"So you keep telling me," she replied bluntly, but the edges of her lips had turned upwards ever so slightly.

I smiled at the interaction between the two as I picked up the menu. I had heard that the pair had started going out a couple of months ago, but they almost seemed like the proverbial odd couple. I wondered how things were going between them, but hesitated to ask; I'd just have to hit up Hayate later for intel.

"So what brings you out here?" Vice asked casually, apparently trying to make conversation. "Didn't think too many people knew about this place."

"I've been here a few times," I replied, looking over the entrees. "And I was in the neighborhood, checking up on some things for a personal case."

"Anything we could assist you with, Testarossa?" Signum asked. I could almost detect a note of pleading in the tone.

"I'm afraid not," I answered, apologetic. "But thanks for offering. I'm just taking a break between leads, hoping for some inspiration."

"Well, take your time," Vice told her, leaning back and casually dropping an arm around Signum's shoulders. She seemed a little embarrassed by the move, but mostly just resigned. "We just got here and have yet to order as well."

A waiter came by and passed out water glasses, as well as putting a complimentary bowl of fruit on the table, then said he'd be back in a few minutes to take their orders. My eyes locked onto the mound of produce, as something tickled at the back of my mind.

"Now this is what I'm talking about: Variety!" Vice declared with gusto, reaching into the bowl and pulling one of them out. "The cafeteria is nice, but you don't get the selection you get elsewhere. Take this peach for example; I haven't seen one on base for months now, and I love 'em." He took a big bite out of it for emphasis.

I stared at him, things snapping into place. "Vice, you're a genius!"

"Ya, ah get tawd that arot," he noted with a full mouth, then swallowed. "But you really need to tell Alto; She doesn't seem to understand.... Hey, where are you goin'?"

"I'm sorry, I have to look into a few things," I told them, standing up and grabbing my coat. My stomach was still empty, so I grabbed another peach from the dish for the road. I'd have to pick up something en route.

"Are you sure you do not wish assistance?" Signum asked again, a slightly bigger hint of desperation in her voice.

I smiled; while I wanted to do this myself anyway, it also gave me an evil sense of glee to leave her in this situation. "No, I'll be fine. Enjoy your date!"

"We will, thanks!" I heard Vice call as I dashed for the door.

x~~*~~x

I closed the folder and looked up. "And you're sure about this?"

The coroner nodded. "I knew Racheal and her husband Jerry for almost 4 years. Nice couple, even though they kept to themselves, mostly."

I began to wonder if I was on the right track to follow the supply chain to this farming community. I felt myself finally feeling beginning to feel the warmth coming from this case in my seventh lead, however, this latest information threw a bit of a kink into my theory, although something didn't feel right about it. The woman had changed her name, but from some of the pictures, she appeared to be the one.

"And you didn't notice anything odd about them, or their deaths?" I asked, probing for more information.

He thought for a bit. "Not too much. They only came into town sparingly for supplies. Since it'sa small town, everyone gets to know everyone, but those two mostly stayed out of things. Even grew their own food up the mountain. As for their deaths, a few things felt off, as I noted in the file. But without the equipment or expertise to follow up on it, we just had to label as an accidental death by fire."

I had been looking over their postmortem reports, and had already read over the minor discrepancies. In fact, I had forwarded some of them on earlier, and would hopefully hear back soon.

He stood up. "Well, I've got some other work to get to, so just let me know if you need me for something else. You're welcome to any of the files in there, although we don't have too many deaths around these parts."

I thanked him for his assistance as he left the room. I thought I was on to something with my hunch, and so couldn't believe I'd be shot down this easily. There was on possibility, however....

A floating screen opened up near me, with some mail. It was from Shamal, with some test results from the data and samples I had scanned and sent off earlier. I could feel my lips slowly turn upwards as I read the results; I _was_ right. And if I was correct about this, I think I even could begin to guess what might happened all those years ago between Clyde and Precia.

There was one person who could tell me for sure, but I needed to make one more stop first to confirm.

x~~*~~x

There wasn't much left of the mountain cabin for my eighth lead, except for blackened wood and charcoal. A variety of debris littered the small compound as well, but nothing too recognizable. I did find it odd, however, that a fire that so completely destroyed a log cabin, didn't do much to the forest around it. It lent weight to my hypothesis: this was a deliberate fire set to destroy the cabin only.

Stepping through what I guessed was the entrance and into the living room, there were specific signs I was looking for. If I was right, and all signs pointed to me being right, then I'd find a bit of evidence to back up my theory.

Glass and burnt wood snapped under my metal boot; I was in Impulse Form for protection from the debris. But I still hadn't found it. Grasping Bardiche, I fired off photon lancer shots to clear out the bigger piles of wood and rubbish from the ruined hallway and corner room, then scanned the floor.

There, almost deliberately covered by the wreckage of a dresser in the remains of the bed room, Bardiche informed me of a discovery; it was what I was looking for. I opened the basement hatch and looked within, but didn't go down; it, too, was trashed and partially collapsed, and thus dangerous to enter. But mostly buried on the far side, my scans found what I was looking for: a clone incubation chamber. The owner of this cabin probably didn't expect someone to probe this much, and she'd be right. If it wasn't for Jail himself hinting that he was Alicia's father, I never would have come this far, and no one would discover this for a long time, if at all.

I smiled grimly; it was time to wrap this case up via a conversation with an old friend.

x~~*~~x

The old woman climbed the steps like I presumed she did every night, but her look of surprise when she saw me waiting outside her apartment door, told me she never got any visitors. And if my theory was right, she never would have because she had tried so hard to hide who she was.

"Fate, dear, what brings you by at this time of night?" Mrs. Benna asked, surprised as her right hand dipped into her side dress pocket.

"I just came by to see you, Raquel Zettin," I answered calmly, arms folded across my chest. I could see her hand tremble a bit from inside her pocket, and I grew more confident.

"I'm sorry, do you have the wrong person?" she told me, trying to feign ignorance, or perhaps some deafness.

"Oh sure, your name is Racheal Benna now," I went on, appearing to ignore her response. "But it was also Racheal Scagli once, too. Interesting take on that family name; who exactly was your husband again?"

She could probably continue playing dumb, and it might just work, I realized. I didn't have any real solid evidence; most of it was circumstantial or could easily be explained by other means. But the way her body seemed to sag, told me that she wasn't in any mood to keep these secrets.

She studied me for a bit, but after a while, her body sagged and her head dropped and she asked in a resigned voice, "How did you find out?"

"Iro Gonfried gave me the first real clue," I told her. "He receives an anonymous care package weekly. I did some checking; he has no family and seemingly no friends, so who sends it? In it is a variety of fruits and nuts, and the peaches are especially delicious, according to him. Still feel a bit of something for for the man? That's what made me consider things from a different angle, as Joland had said Raquel often joked about retiring to the country."

The old woman chuckled. "He was annoying at times, and if I wasn't preoccupied with someone else, I might have given him a chance. But you must have more than that."

I held up a peach, continuing. "Although you're right, that's obviously not enough to prove a connection, I had analysis done on the peaches I bought from you recently and the ones Iro gonfried received. They came from the same harvest. I also had a friend of mine artificially age Raquel Zettin's picture from this photograph." In my other hand, I held up the two pictures. "You're a very close match, wouldn't you say?"

"Anyone can buy those peaches, and that photograph could look like anyone," Raquel pointed out.

"It was a hunch," I explained, continuing. "I traced your fruit supply route back to a farming village, and a bit of checking turned up a woman with your description having lived in a cabin near there, many years ago. The cabin was destroyed, obviously that was the intention. The local coroner managed to identify the bodies as belonging to the couple that lived there. If he knew what to look for, however, he would have noticed that both bodies shared a certain genetic drift consistent with Jail's cloning techniques. And if had better equipment, he would have realized that both bodies died from genetic damage long before the fire ravaged them. Luckily, he was a good file-keeper, however. I bet a DNA comparison between you and the female body would yield interesting insights."

Raquel looked down at her doorknob, and I was struck by how old she suddenly looked, as if she had aged a couple of decades in these past few moments. "What do you plan to do now?"

"I just want answers," I admitted, my tone softening. "Who was Alicia's father? I suspect you know."

The old woman sighed, then reached up and unlocked the door. "Why don't you come in for some tea? It might not be the best, but the company may make up for it."

x~~*~~x

I could barely contain the shaking of my hands. The teacup Raquel had just put in front of me, helped; it's warm liquid soothing my nerves as I grasped it with both hands. The way things looked, I might finally be able to find out the mystery surrounding Alicia. I had a theory in mind, surprised I didn't see it earlier, but it could use verification and some filling in of details.

"Your mother, Precia, liked this flavor," the old woman noted, somewhat sadly as she sat down on a couch opposite of me. "Do you consider Precia to be your mother?"

I nodded from my own small couch, a small knee-height table between us. "Yes, despite what happened. I also consider Lindy to be my mother, since she adopted me."

"In a way, I almost might be considered your mother, too, but that's probably too selfish of a statement," she noted wryly, but with some sadness. "Also, it might be stretching things."

"What do you mean?" I asked, not expecting that revelation. "How were you involved in all this?"

"Perhaps it's best to start near the beginning," Raquel said, pausing to take a sip of tea. "I first knew Precia when we were assigned to the same project; well, it was Precia's project, really, and we were just assigned to assist her. She wasn't an easy woman to get along with, and she hardly ever talked about herself; her work was all that mattered. But I slowly cracked the shell, and we became friends, somewhat. Then one night, she confessed that, although she loved her work, she wanted a child, a daughter."

"Alicia," I whispered.

Raquel nodded. "She had that named picked out well in advance. But she didn't want just any daughter; she wanted a great mage and researcher to carry on after her; not adopted, but of her own blood. She also wasn't too interested in dating or finding a compatible male companion, and she wanted her daughter to be of suitable mage pedigree; no ordinary man would do. All this she told me over the course of several months. And so, I introduced her to someone I knew, someone I secretly worked for and reported to: Jail Scaglietti."

"I considered that, back when Jail said he was Alicia's father," I noted aloud. "But he couldn't have been that old."

"I, too, was surprised at how he looked when he appeared as a hologram over the city, all those months ago," Raquel agreed. "He was a very talented bio-engineer, and did have plenty of access to research on slowing the aging process. Still, I suspect he may have cloned himself at least once."

I nodded. "He did have a backup plan, with his cyborgs able to give birth to a clone of him."

"And he may have indeed believed he was Alicia's father," the old scientist said with a small smile. "That was his plan. But I'm getting ahead of myself." She paused to sip some more tea. "The standard donor centers weren't up to her standards, and Precia didn't want to owe any favors to the Bureau, nor have her daughter under their thumb. So Jail was quite willing to keep it all secret. And he had secretly acquired quite a stock of DNA samples from several of the stronger mages at the time; he gave her a list of donors, given her specifications."

"And one of them was Clyde Harlaown," I deduced.

Raquel nodded, then smiled. "Though you should have seen the look on Precia's face when she realized the one she picked was actually a child. A 10-year-old with a rank of AAA, who had a strong possibility of reaching S, one of the more promising young mages in the Bureau. Precia demanded to know how a child was supposed to give her a daughter. Then Jail revealed his other secret: he could clone the boy and artificially age him; he even showed her what Clyde would like as an older man. The fact that the clone would only live 1-2 years at most afterward, well, Precia considered that a bonus. She wouldn't have to deal with any surprises down the line, in the form of custody battles or visitation rights. Things of that sort."

"Even back then, mother considered people as tools?" I said, mostly to myself, although I probably shouldn't have been surprised to hear things like that about my mother, even now. "Even Alicia?"

"It wasn't quite that simple," Raquel countered. "Your mother did end up loving Alicia very much, and also cared for the Clyde-clone we created for her, who was named Clive Harle. He wasn't given many memories; he was simply told he had an accident and had memory loss, and that he was going to marry Precia, his fiancee, before the accident. He was doubtful at first, but eventually went through with it. He was very noble in that regard; I suspect we cloned more of the real Clyde than we realized."

I set my teacup down. "Why a marriage? Why not just extract the sperm from the clone?"

"When I think back on it, I found it a bit strange that Precia wanted to go that route, too," the old woman admitted. "I suspect she wanted some legitimacy for her daughter, or perhaps even then, she did want some sort of male companionship. Clive was handsome, and she was a woman at heart. But we did extract sperm from the clone for artificial insemination experiments, while he was unconscious during his 'treatments'. The clone thought he was undergoing therapy to get his memories back."

I began to really feel bad for the clone, then shook my head. No, his name was Clive Harle, and I would call him that, not a clone. But to not know who he was, and only being birthed for a single purpose; in that respect, he was much like myself, and thus I figured I was very much his daughter. In a strange way, Alicia had been birthed for a single purpose, too. Only her death prevented Precia from using her for that.

"And I think the clone truly came to care about Precia, too," Raquel was saying as I came out of my thoughts. "I'm not sure of exactly went on between them, but something developed there. Whether it was love, mutual respect, or some kind of close friendship, I can't say. But the clone eventually figured things out, near the end, when he realized he was dying, but Precia had been impregnated by a specially selected fertilized ovum by then. He actually came to me and told me he had made Precia promise him something, and he wanted me to make sure it was kept: That he knew he wasn't the real Clyde, and to keep the secret of his daughter's real father, so the real Clyde wouldn't be inconvenienced by it."

"So that's why she wouldn't tell me," I breathed, as my mind saw everything fall into place. "She really did mean to keep that promise, so she must have really cared for him." Another thought struck me. "Wait, so why would Jail think he was my father?"

Raquel smiled, her eyes twinkling with mischief, but Fate could also see some sadness there. "That was his plan, to substitute his own seed for Clyde's and make Precia think Alicia was Clyde's child. He admired Precia's mind and magical powers, and seemed to like the idea of an offspring sired by the two of them. But I doctored the results, as I was managing most of the process because Precia didn't fully trust Jail. But she did trust me. I wasn't able to replace all the experiments, but I got the one that mattered, and destroyed the rest, as per the agreement."

I saw something in her eyes, then, and another small mystery cleared up. "You loved him. And he was indirectly going to have a child with another woman."

Raquel finished off her tea and set the cup down, suddenly looking much older. "I was young, and he was brilliant. Arrogant, too, but in some way, that made him more attractive. At some point I realized he never would really love me; I was just another assistant to him. I watched over Precia and Alicia as the girl grew, but after she died in the accident, I finally left Jail."

"Your husband was a clone of Jail," I deduced. "That's why your last name then was Scagli, and that's why there was a cloning chamber in your old cabin."

"He only lived for about four years, and he wasn't entirely the Jail that I loved," Raquel admitted. "I had removed a lot of his memories like we did with Clive. I don't think Jail ever knew that I cloned him, but if he did, he probably didn't care."

"And when he died, you cloned yourself and burned both of the bodies and the cabin in order to disappear again," I concluded for her. "Your two mistakes were setting up a stall near where I shop, and getting fruit delivered from the old town where you once lived as someone else. If you hadn't of done those, I probably wouldn't have been able to find you."

She chuckled darkly. "Am I going to jail for killing two clones?"

I felt conflicted; on one hand, the she had committed crimes. But I also felt for the woman; she couldn't have the man she loved, and was in a weird sort of way, a godmother to Alicia. And so in an extended way, she was almost like another mother to me.

"Don't worry, I won't force you to make that choice," Raquel told me in a comforting tone. "I moved back here because I heard about you, and wanted to confirm who you were. And perhaps I felt some responsibility, because of Alicia, or maybe just some old motherly instinct. I never meant to lie to you, and indeed, wanted to find he courage to tell you someday. But now everything can be laid to rest at last."

My eyes widened in horrible realization as the old woman leaned her head back on the couch's headrest, and my eyes quickly glanced down at her empty teacup. "You didn't...." I quickly moved over to her side and sat next to her, checking her pulse; it was weak, and growing weaker.

"I'm sorry, but I've been carrying these secrets inside of me for so long, and when I realized it was time to tell, I realized my purpose in living was over," the woman told me sadly, as I signaled Bardiche to call for medical assistance. "I have to take them to my grave, so it's up to you what you decide to do with them. I can't answer to the Bureau, and I can't go to jail. And don't worry, it was only my own cup that I tainted."

"You can't..." I commanded her, my eyes becoming a bit blurry for some reason. "I just got to know you, and you were like a godmother to Alicia, so...."

The old woman reached a hand up to cup my cheek, smiling warmly. "You're Fate, not Alicia, and Fate is a good, kind woman. I know your mother would be proud of you, because I am proud of you, from what I have learned about you these past few months. Don't let the past hold you back. Take comfort in who you are today, and in who you want to be."

Her eyes closed, as I wrapped my arms around her and buried my face in her neck to hide my tears.

x~~*~~x

"I see," Lindy said, sitting back.

I kept staring at my cup, after having finished explaining the events of the past week, including the plan to get Raquel buried next to Precia and Alicia, along with another headstone for Clive Harle. The ceremony would be held next week, to give me time to explain things to certain people. But in my mind, I kept seeing the old woman sitting there, fading away before my eyes. How many more headstones would I create for the people I had come to care about?

"Well, in one respect, I'm glad to know that Clyde didn't really have any flings with other women, even if it was going to be before he met me," Lindy noted offhand in a neutral tone "And the Bureau will appreciate the information to clean up some of their records. But more importantly, how are *you* feeling?"

"I couldn't care less about the Bureau and their records," I nearly spat out, harsher than I intended, then sighed. "I don't know how I feel, really. I knew this could lead places that I might not expect when I started, so in that respect, I asked for it. I know more about where I come from now, but if I hadn't started looking, Raquel would still be alive and selling her fruit. She'd be there tomorrow when Nanoha or I go shopping."

Tears appeared in my eyes again, even though I thought I had already cried myself out last night. I quickly rubbed my eyes with my sleeves; I couldn't allow myself to break down. It would betray her memory, as well as all the others that had formed me into the person I am today.

"She did what she wanted," Lindy told me, trying to be soothing. "You can't blame her for that, nor yourself. She wanted you to know. She probably planned to pass away someday, after telling you everything; that's why she tracked you down and started up that stand in that area where you and Nanoha buy food.

Lindy stood up and walked around the small table, crouching down to place her hands on my shoulders and look me in the eyes. "You know where you come from now, and you know more about your heritage. That's never a bad thing. But she was right; it's what you do now that's important."

Reacting to a sudden urge, I reached out and hugged the woman who had raised me for most of my life. "Thank you, mother."

"Anytime, daughter," Lindy answered softly into my ear.

"Hey, we're home!" came a male voice from the doorway.

I broke the hug and stood up. "Chrono!"

"I hope the kids haven't been too much trouble," Amy said, coming in right behind her husband, and setting her suitcase down.

"They've been absolutely wonderful!" Lindy told her, smiling.

"We are talking about OUR kids here, right?" Chrono asked, hesitantly. "Oh, Fate, didn't know you were... Fate?"

I had wrapped my arms around his neck, smiling as I said softly, "Welcome home, brother."

I could feel his cheeks start to burn, and I knew he was blushing; he never could take displays of affection very well. "Um, did I miss something?"

As Amy and Lindy giggled, I truly came to understand and know who I am: I am Fate Testarossa Harlaown. I know where I came from, but I also know where I am, and where I am going. While I discovered a lot about the former, it's the latter that is most important to me now, as the ghost of Project F can no longer hold me back.

My future is mine to make.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

This was partially born out of the conclusion to Crisis. It was actually a random thought that I made Fate's father out to be Clyde as a way to truly connect her to the Harlaown family. But someone wanted to see it followed up on, and the more I thought about it, the more I thought I could make a decent story about it. I ran into a few bumps with my research concerning ages, as an A's sketch someone pulled up would have put Clyde at about 3 years old when Alicia was born. I found that out only after I posted my Crisis epilogue.

Oops.

But I'm not sure how official it was, and this universe mainly goes off the TV series without a lot of the extra materials, so I felt I had a bit of room to play with ages. I also like a challenge, and I didn't want to go back and change my Crisis epilogue, so I hope this story was a bit satisfactory at least.

Fun fact: My mom used to love watching "Murder, She Wrote" and "Matlock", and my dad was a big "Columbo" fan, so I've seen a fair bit of those types of shows. And I confess, I liked seeing them remember the little things, until they put it all together at the end for the reveal. I'm not sure if it was Columbo who said (or was quoting it from somewhere else): "There are no perfect crimes, just imperfect investigations." It's something I keep in mind.

Again, thanks to Alavon for proof-reading and giving some suggestions!

Now, as promised, I introduce sneak peaks of upcoming fanfics in my Crisis universe. First, I'll list out the planned future chapters for Red Jewel Diaries. Some of these could end being split into 2 or more parts, depending on size:

Take me out to the Ball Game – Teana and Subaru have an argument that leads to an unusual method of resolution. Also features the Nakajima sisters and the church cyborgs.

Allies – Quattro, Tre, and Sette are contracted by a surprise person to deal with a secret matter. Will they go along with it? And how will they respond to the multiple issues that go against them?

Life – Nanoha goes to visit Amy to talk with her about certain things that Amy has experience in. That leads into her history with Chrono. Also look for the formal introduction of Amy's kids, Karel and Liera, and Vivio's slightly-less-than-enthused reactions to them. ^_~

Recollections of a Lost Age – Not officially going to be placed in this series, but it'll take place between Life and Vivio's story. It's partially written, and I intend to finish it around this time, hopefully. It'll be left separate from RJD, as it can also be read as a standalone (I initially started it as a standalone), but can be considered to take place here.

Vivio and Corona's Excellent Adventure – The pair witness a kidnapping, and go on a cross-town spree to save the victim. Clanagan (and Corona) may never be the same!

Dragon Quest – Erio/Caro have a bit of trouble with regards to feelings and summons, that leads to surprising discovery, and a big concern for the future. Zafira, Lutecia, Agito, and Megane (Lutecia's mother) guest star. Most likely going to be 2 parts.

For Better or for Worse – Keeping it as mostly a surprise for now, but will be WAFFy with hopefully plenty of humor. Final chapter of Red Jewel Diaries.

Finally, if you liked the approach I took with Crisis with a broad story arc covering multiple chapters, I have two more sequels planned along this line. You'll get sneak peaks of those in the next two chapters.^^


	5. Take Me Out to the Ball Game

**Red Jewel Diaries**

**Chapter 5: Take Me Out to the Ball Game**

Xx~~*~~xX

Nanoha: _"Even though I sometimes get occupied with the issues in my family, I'm reminded that I'm not the only one. Such was the case when I bumped into Teana having an argument with Subaru and her sisters, and the events that resulted from that. And while the game that followed was a fun change of pace, I can only hope that those two have managed to work out their own issues...."_

x~~*~~x

"Now pitching for the Clanagan Mages, it's Teanaaaa Laaaanster!" the voice announced over the stadium loudspeaker, to roaring cheers from the crowd.

The subject mentioned in the announcement adjusted her cap on the pitcher's mound. She had been practicing hard for the past month, and felt she was as ready as she was ever going to be. This was one game she wasn't going to lose, no matter what, as the consequences for losing were too scary to think about. She had something to prove, and that darn girl was going to learn, one way or the other.

"And now, stepping up to bat first for the Clanagan Cyborgs, it's Suuuubaru Nakajiiiimaaa!" the male voice said with as much enthusiasm, but there was a bit less cheer from the crowd. The cyborgs had made much headway with their latest help during the Alhazard crisis, as well as more recent rescues and Saint Church work, but there were still hold-outs who remembered the JS incident days.

However, Subaru didn't let that bother her, as she stepped up to the plate and took a few practice swings, while her eyes and concentration were on the pitcher. And as their gazes locked, Subaru's facial expressions hardened; she would show Tea a thing or two, and then perhaps things would be different.

The two former partners held each other's stares, and then Teana wound up and threw the first pitch of the game.

The ball rocketed towards the cyborg at high speeds, but Subaru's eyes followed it, then braced herself, and finally swung with all her might.

x~~*~~x

"And I'm telling you that normal mages are stronger," Teana argued, irritated. "Fate took out two of the most powerful on her own. I took out three myself!"

"That's only because they were fighting on the wrong side, then!" Subaru argued back, heedless of the looks they were getting as the pair ventured through the shopping district. "They've come so much farther since then, don't you see that? And yet they still don't get as much respect as normal mages do."

"Because they aren't normal," Teana told her, still not looking at the other girl. "They are just gonna have to get used to that. They do decent work in the rescue unit, I'll admit, but they can't expect special treatment!"

Subaru sighed, as her friend had been much more uptight and short-tempered lately and she couldn't figure out why. "Tea, are you still mad about, um, that time in the park..."

The angry young woman spun and finally confronted the girl following close behind her. "For the last time, NO! I'm just wondering if I can do something simple as go buy a new pair of pants without you following along for once."

That stung, but if Teana realized it, she didn't indicate.

Subaru looked down. "I haven't been around you that much lately. And you missed out on the past two Striker group get-togethers, too. I've just been worried about you, we all have."

Teana resumed walking. "I've just been busy, that's all. Sometimes a case takes my full time and attention to work. You wouldn't understand. If I want to spend some time by myself or working a case, that should be entirely my decision!"

"Well, if you don't want me around, why don't you just say so!" Subaru nearly shouted, then paused, having finally said what was bothering her. "I'm sorry if I'm not as great a mage as Fate!"

"And we're back to that again!" Teana huffed. "As I said, even though mages are stronger that cyborgs, that has nothing to do with this."

"You think mages are stronger, huh?" came a familiar voice.

The pair turned, seeing the four other Nakajima sisters standing nearby, having just come out of a clothing shop.

Nove strode up to Tea, her facial expression showing that she was barely containing anger. "You only took us down because you got lucky that time. It wouldn't happen a second time!" She poked Tea's sternum for emphasis.

Tea swatted the finger away. "Oh please, we beat you multiple times. You're not that strong."

"Hey, don't say that to my sister!" Subaru ordered, coming to stand next to her genetically-similar sibling.

"Well, why don't we prove it right here and now!" Nove challenged, assuming a fighting stance.

"Fine with me!" Teana answered, reaching for her device.

"I'm with you, Nove and Subaru!" Wendi announced, handing her boxes to Dieci, who sighed.

"Is there some problem here?" Nanoha asked, causing all the girls, and the gathering crowd, to turn towards the new pair.

"I was just about to teach this loudmouth a lesson," Nove replied, her gaze not leaving the source of her ire. She felt a hand on her arm, looking down to see Cinque there, who shook her head.

"Powers are not to be used for such squabbles in public places," Hayate told them sternly. "Agent Lanster should know this already, and you girls should have learned it in that class, where you received your special rescue licenses that allowed the use of your abilities."

All the girls suddenly looked ashamed or embarrassed, but there remained some anger there.

"If you truly want to resolve your differences, perhaps we can arrange that," Nanoha told them, a twinkle in her eye. "Perhaps some sort of game you can compete in."

Nove crossed her arms over her chest, her face smug. "I can beat this loudmouth in anything."

"The only loudmouth around here is you!" Teana shot back, then turned to look at Nanoha. "I'm game for anything, but what should we compete in?"

Hayate slowly smiled.

x~~*~~x

It was decided to use baseball, which was one of Hayate's suggestions, and although Subaru couldn't quite remember how they came to that conclusion, it would mean that all her sisters could participate. They were still a few short of the nine needed, but Sein, Otto, and Deed from the Saint Church eagerly agreed when asked and together with Ginga, Nove, Cinque, Wendi, and Dieci, Subaru felt she had a team.

Now they just needed to learn the game and practice so they'd be ready in a month, but that's when their father, Genya, overheard them and volunteered to coach. It turned how he was a fan of Earth baseball, as his own father had come from Earth and had been one.

For the other side, Teana immediately asked Nanoha and Hayate, who agreed, and although Hayate indicated she was more willing to coach then play, she did volunteer Signum, Vita, and Zafira. Also, Nanoha easily convinced Fate who then badgered Chrono into it as well. Erio also volunteered when he heard about it and that brought her team up to eight. She needed one more and thus decided to ask Vice who readily agreed; it turned out he loved any and all kinds of sports.

For umpire, several suggestions were made, but both teams eventually decided on Sister Schach as they considered her a neutral party and trusted her judgment. Even though she didn't know the game, she began studying the rulebook with incredible zeal, eager to take on the role.

With the teams set, practice commenced and after a month, the game was set to begin. The question of powers came up, which would have made the game too easy, so strong limiters would be set to bring everyone to a roughly equal power level. There would be no flying, and powers could only be used three times each inning, per person; it was an easy way to spice up the normal game a bit.

"But no flying means I can't use my board," Wendi complained as the group gathered in their locker room. "So there isn't much I can do."

"My twin swords are fairly useless, too," Deed agreed, causing the group to begin to despair.

"I wouldn't be so quick to count us out," Ginga told them, a twinkle in her eye; Subaru realized her first sister was enjoying this just as much. "We're cyborgs; we have greater speed, strength, and endurance naturally. It'll even things out, especially as most of the mages have vastly reduced powers."

That seemed to put the cyborgs in better spirits, and they eagerly started practicing.

What Subaru nor Teana realized, however, was that Hayate had also spent that month promoting the event and arranging for it to take place in the Clanagan stadium. The size of the gathered crowd, who were interested to see a new sport, daunted most of both teams and made the two initial girls have second thoughts.

But as they saw each other from their positions on the mound and the batter's box, the resolve returned. Even more so, when Subaru popped a fly out between center and left fields, and made it to first base for the first hit of the game.

Their eyes met again, defiant, for the game was more than just a question of whether mage or cyborg was better.

x~~*~~x

"So, I see you're still going through with this," Teana told the other girl, two weeks before the game was set to begin. "Not like it matters much to me, but I'd hate to embarrass you out there."

"So you're talking to me now?" Subaru inquired, darkly. "I'd have thought you didn't want me around anymore or something."

"I don't care what you do, as long as you don't annoy me after this," Teana replied evenly.

"Fine, then we'll make a bet," Subaru challenged. "If I lose this game, then I'll never bother you again!" Her eyes widened, as if she couldn't believe what she just said, but pride wouldn't make her take it back. "H-how about you!?"

Teana trembled slightly, then shot back, "Fine with me. If I lose, I'll... I'll... date you!"

Subaru stared in shock, as the orange-haired girl glared back at her, then huffed and turned her back, heading up the tunnel to the field. Each felt second-thoughts, and each began to doubt the path they were on.

But as each glared at the other, both realized that neither would surrender that easily.

x~~*~~x

And they weren't the only ones, as Nove stepped up to the box, eyeing Teana on the mound. She'd definitely show that loudmouth who was boss. She bent her knees a bit, and held the bat just so, like she had learned in practice, mentally noting that it was the top of the second inning now, and score was still tied at 0; she had to make the first score of the game.

"HEY batta batta batta SWING batta batta batta!" came the shout from the stands. The sudden and loud catcall caused Nove to swing early, missing the ball.

"Strike one!" Schach called.

Nove scanned the crowd as Zafira tossed the ball back to Teana. Who had said that? She shook her head and returned to her stance, preparing for the next pitch. Teana nodded to the catcher, then wound up again.

"The only thing you could hit, is a bottle!" came the female's shout again, which disrupted Nove enough for her to swing after the ball had passed, and Schach called a second strike.

[Calm down, Nove,] she told herself, upset at losing concentration. [Just focus. Ignore the idiot in the stands.]

"The last time my friend was that late, she was pregnant!" the female jeered, to which the crowd erupted into a long "oooooooh!"

A vein bulged on her forehead as Nove twitched; Someone was going to pay later.

"Ignore it, Nove!" came Ginga's shout from first base. "Just concentrate on hitting the ball, like in practice! You can do it!"

She took several long breaths, then stepped back into the batter's box, her teeth grinding slightly. She was going to hit this one so hard, that the damn idiot in the stands would eat her words. She'd teach that loudmouthed jerk to embarrass her.

"We want a batter, not a broken ladder!" the female in the stands hollered again.

[What the hell does a broken ladder have to do with this!?] Nove wondered, then stood stunned as Schach called her out with a third strike.

"GRRRRRR!" Nove remarked delicately with all the calm of an erupting volcano as she stomped back to the dugout in anger, her sisters giving her a wide berth. She pulled up a view screen as she sat down. [Just need to find the right camera, wind back in time a little, and....]

Her scowl slowly changed into an expression of glee, and Dieci scooted away from her a bit on the bench as her sister erupted into an evil laugh.

x~~*~~x

"I'm not so sure that was a good idea, Arisa-chan," Suzuka noted hesitantly. "She seemed rather upset."

"Aw, it's just part of the game," Arisa replied cheerily, brushing off the concern as she sat back down. "This is how baseball is done on Earth! You should give it a try, Caro."

The young girl glanced back at Arisa hesitantly, a little embarrassed. "I'm not sure I could say things like that."

"Just give it time, you'll get into the spirit!" Arisa told her, then the group watched as Otto hit a fly that Vice easily caught from left field.

Deed grounded a ball along the third base line, that Signum picked up and tossed to Fate on second, tagging Subaru out. With that, the sides switched, moving into the bottom of the second.

Arisa took a swig of her beer, then looked at her seatmates. "Come on, get something and enjoy the game!"

"I must admit, I find this 'hot dog' fascinating," Shari remarked, taking a bite. "You should try one, Amy."

"I think you'd have to pry her away from the popcorn bowl first," Shamal noted wryly.

Amy chuckled nervously with her mouth full.

x~~*~~x

"So why hasn't there been any killing yet?" Quattro asked, as the trio watched a large holo monitor from their rehabilitation facility.

"I don't think there is any killing in this game," Tre replied, then sighed watching Wendi in left field drop the ball, allowing Chrono to reach first base.

"Maiming?" Quattro offered, reaching into the large bucket between her and Sette to grab a handful of the new snack food. "Punching? Any kind of physical contact?" Tre shook her head at each suggestion. "Oh poo. When I heard this was 'Mages' vs. Cyborgs,' I expected something a bit more physical. Though I must admit, this snack food is delicious. What did they call it again?"

"Popcorn," Sette answered, reaching in for another handful.

"Well, it's positively delightful," Qauttro almost purred. "You sure you don't want some?"

Tre shook her head. "It's also empty calories. It'll go straight to your butt."

The other two cyborgs paused, looked down at their waistlines, then shrugged and resumed eating. It was too horribly addicting to stop.

x~~*~~x

"Hey dad, where did Nove go?" Subaru asked in the dugout during the top of the third inning, with the score still tied at 0.

Genya looked up from his playboard. "She said she had to take care of something, and would be back in a few. Her spot at bat shouldn't come up for awhile, so I let her go."

Subaru scratched her head. "Huh, I wonder what she could be up to."

Arisa laughed at Carim's joke from her aisle seat, then felt a tap on her shoulder. As she turned around, she found her shirt roughly grabbed and an angry redhead in her face.

"If I hear a peep out of you again, I'll pop your tiny little head off your twiggy little neck and mount it on my trophy wall!" Nove threatened with bared teeth.

"Eheh heh, it was just a little harmless fun," Arisa chuckled nervously, then found herself pulled closer.

"My next harmless fun will involve a bat and your face, GET IT!?" Nove seethed.

Arisa nodded quickly, and was promptly dropped as the redhead stormed off.

x~~*~~x

The game proceeded apace with no further incidents, but there also was no scoring until the fifth inning. Dieci surprised everyone with the first score, managing a 2-run homer that brought herself and Cinque in, the latter having gotten to first base with a bunt and then a thrown dagger that exploded and created a dust cloud that caused Nanoha on first base to miss the ball thrown her way.

But the mages shot back with Signum slicing a ball between left and center to get on base, which was followed up by Zafira grounding a ball just out of Cinque's reach in the shortstop position. Then Vita pulled out Graf Eisen and answered by slamming the second homer over left field, bringing the score 3 to 2.

"Stepping up to the plate, one of our top Bureau Aces, Faaaaate Harleooooowwwnnn!" came the announcement.

Subaru glanced warily at the other woman from the pitcher's mound, confidently holding the bat, and recalled an earlier conversation...

x~~*~~x

"Hello there, Subaru, were you waiting for me?" Fate asked, curious, as she came out of the locker room.

Subaru started, from where she was leaning up against the wall across from the locker room door. "Fate! Um, yeah, sorta. I was wondering if I could talk to you about something...."

The other woman smiled gently. "Sure, why don't we go grab a bite to eat?"

The two left the practice field that was being used to train both teams and went to Fate's car. Subaru couldn't stop fidgeting, and odds are, Fate noticed as she started up the automobile and pulled out.

"So, what's on your mind?" the agent inquired. "Is something in particular bothering you? Are you worried about the upcoming game?"

"Ah, not really!" she replied, laughing nervously. She didn't want to mention how Nove couldn't hit a ball to save her life. "Practice is going great! Ginga is really good at this, and Sein and Cinque are catching on quick. We're gonna give you a good fight!"

Fate smiled, changing lanes. "Good, I'll be looking forward to it, as long as you're really feeling alright about everything."

"Well, I was just curious, if Tea talks about me at all to you," Subaru asked softly, head looking down.

"Sometimes," Fate answered. "She always mentions nice it is to be around you, and what a good and reliable partner you are. She says you're a very good friend."

Subaru, whose eyes had been lighting up, fell slightly at the last part. "Oh. Yeah, she's my precious friend whom I've known for a long time." She paused for a bit. "How long were you friends with Nanoha, before you, um, decided to change things?"

"Over ten years," Fate replied ruefully.

"10 years!?" the cyborg girl repeated, shocked. "Didn't you want to be closer long before that?"

"I was mostly happy with the way things were, as I just wanted Nanoha to be happy," Fate admitted, pulling off the road into a parking lot of a restaurant. "I learned long ago that, my happiness was based on my closest friends being happy. It wouldn't have meant anything to push Nanoha into a position that made her too uncomfortable; I had to wait for her to decide what she wanted."

Subaru studied her hands in her lap again. "I suppose you're right. But I think I may have messed things up already."

Fate pulling into a parking spot, and put her hand on Subaru's shoulder, smiling gently. "I doubt that. Friendship like yours is not so easily destroyed. I'm sure Teana will understand, if you are just honest with your feelings, both to yourself, and to her, and then give her space to sort out her own feelings."

"You think so?" Subaru replied, considered it. "I hope so. Thank you, Fate."

"Anytime!" she replied, opening the door. "Now let's grab some food, I'm starving!"

x~~*~~x

Subaru studied Fate, standing in the batter's box, crouched and ready. While she was thankful for the advice, she found she couldn't let herself lose this game; too much depended upon it. Her sisters were counting on her to put on a good showing, and she wouldn't lose that bet to Tea. If she won, she could let Tea off the hook, and hope it made things better between them.

Deed signaled for a curve ball, and Subaru nodded, then wound up and threw. Fate swung and missed, as Schach called strike one, and the batter gave the pitcher a grim smile; she acknowledged the skill, but wouldn't let herself be defeated.

A second curve ball resulted in another strike, but as Subaru released the third pitch, Fate's bat disintegrated, revealing Bardiche, which switched into Zanber Form as she completed her swing. The large blade easily smacked the ball, sending it sailing high into the sky to the roaring cheer of the crowd, and Fate tossed her batting helmet and waved her cap to the crowd as she trotted to first base.

"And it's going, going..." the announcer called.

But it was going over center field and Otto calmly studied the tiny projectile as she she raised her hand, pointed her index finger, and fired. The beam of green light went nearly straight up, smacking the ball and converting it's forward momentum into vertical movement. Eventually, kinetic energy was spent and gravity called it back down, where Otto caught it easily.

"...and she's out!" came the announcement, stunning the crowd, and Fate. "What an incredible display of marksmanship by Center Fielder Otto!"

Fate sighed and headed back to the dugout.

x~~*~~x

"You'll get it next time, Fate-chan," Nanoha soothed, while Hayate signaled that Chrono was up next.

"Already?" he complained, but Nanoha could tell he was enjoying himself, as he selected a bat and trotted out to the batter's box.

Nanoha turned back to see Teana sitting on the far edge of the bench, by herself, and went to sit next to her. "We're ahead, 3 to 2 so far; aren't you happy?"

Teana looked up and put on a smile. "Oh sure, it's great! I'll finally have Subaru off my back!" Nanoha fixed her with a look, which dissolved the girl's false bravado and returned her to studying her hands in her lap. "Nanoha, can I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure, what's on your mind?" the older woman inquired.

She opened and closed her mouth several times, then finally asked in a quiet voice: "How did you handle Fate liking you?"

"Well, I liked her, too, for a long time," Nanoha replied. "Although I suppose I might have been a bit hard pressed to admit how much I really loved her. Because of where I was raised, it wasn't exactly considered normal, and so I was in doubt about my feelings for another woman. I suppose I just reached a point where I couldn't really pretend anymore; when it came down to it, I cared enough about Fate to share my doubts and fears with her, and she has always been patient with me."

Teana grimaced. "Not quite like Subaru."

Nanoha reached out and rubbed the back of the younger woman. "I'm sure she only cares about you, although sometimes, people can have difficulty showing that. It helps to be honest with your own feelings first, and then you can share them with your friend, and she will understand no matter what they are. Nothing has to change; just take one step at a time and stop where you want. If Subaru cares, and I believe she does, she'll respect and be happy with that."

Teana was quiet for a short time, relative to the cheers of the crowd through the stadium, but her gaze was on Subaru on the pitcher's mound. Nanoha heard a quiet "Thank you" then nodded and left the girl alone so she could do some thinking.

x~~*~~x

The next two innings saw only one for the mages, but two for the cyborgs, tying them at 4-4. Vice hit a grounder in the bottom of the seventh which advanced Zafira to second, as Erio slid into home, but Deed was there with the ball at the last second and tagged him.

"Out!" Schach called, jerking her thumb over her shoulder.

"WHAT!?" Caro shrieked, standing up in her seat. "He was safe by a mile! Is the umpire blind!? Everyone could tell it was good!"

The rest of the group stared as the little girl continued to hurl epitaphs down below, causing Erio to return to the dugout with a red and embarrassed face.

x~~*~~x

In the top of the ninth, Subaru managed another hit which brought Deed home to give the cyborgs the lead at 5-4. But the mages managed to get a third out, and it dropped to the bottom of the ninth. As the announcer noted, if the cyborgs could keep the mages from scoring, they'd win the game.

Teana stepped up to the plate first, eyeing Subaru, noting the tension hadn't died down yet. Subaru wound up and pitched and Tea's eyes followed the ball as she swung.

"Crossfire Hit!" Teana shouted, smacking the ball and sending it into the air.

As she ran towards first, she grinned, using her magic to control the ball's fall, zipping it out of Wendi's reach in left field, right before she would have caught it. Subaru gave her a look that Tea couldn't read from the pitcher's mount, then turned back. The cyborg pitcher promptly struck out Vice, but Erio hit a grounder to right field that advanced Teana to second, although Erio got tagged out at first.

With two outs, all eyes turned as Nanoha stepped up to the plate. The crowd cheered her on, as all eyes turned to the pitcher. Subaru braced herself, revved up her knuckle, then tossed her best curving spin ball.

"Divine..." Nanoha whispered, her bat glowing pink slightly, then swung as the ball approached. "BATTER!"

There was a small explosion, and then the ball rocketed straight out, horizontal to the ground, burning through the tip of Cinque's mitt and heading between left and center fields. But Teana didn't note much more than that, as she took off running as fast as she could, a sense of elation flooding her as third base coach Signum signaled that she should keep going and head for home.

Teana rounded third as time seemed to slow down around her. [This is it! If I reach home at least, we can tie. Then we just need to bring Nanoha home to win!]

The corner of her eye saw the cyborgs hustling, working to get the ball back to the infield. She had no idea how close they were to that, but Signum seemed to think she had a shot, so she was giving it all she had. However, she also caught a glance at Subaru on the pitcher's mound, her face obviously worried, shouting encouragement and directions to her team.

The two of them had been together for a long time, Teana knew, and while they had experienced disagreements and arguments before, that was then; why was it so different now? She had an idea, after having had her talk with Nanoha. Had she become so annoyed by Subaru's attentions lately? Could they just be friends, knowing the way her old partner felt? What should Teana Lanster do about it?

Deed was standing behind home plate now, glove up, as Teana began the last third of the journey from third base to home, noting Subaru receiving the ball in the corner of her eye. Would she make it in time? Teana didn't know, as she leapt and began the slide to home; it was all up to chance now.

The ball smacked into Deed's mitt and she began thrusting it downward as Teana's foot arrived, kicking up a large amount of dirt.

Schach made the call an instant before the dust obscured everything.

x~~*~~x

Subaru was the last to leave the locker room, as the rest of her sisters had already gone ahead. She wanted to stay behind to do something she probably should have done a long time, and while the thought filled her with some amount of sadness, there was also a strange sense of relief mixed in, too.

Existing the locker room, she wasn't surprised to see Tea standing there, the gun mage's back to her and equally as silent for awhile, then she spoke up. "So, I see you got my message."

Subaru nodded, then realized Teana couldn't see since she was still facing away. "Yes. I'm sorry, Tea. I never wanted to hurt you or make you feel uncomfortable. I'll stay away."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Tea said after a moment. "I-"

"You don't have to say or do anything!" Subaru insisted, cutting her off. "I know we made that stupid bet, but-"

The gun mage finally whirled to face her, face angry. "Would you shut up for a moment! I lost, and I've never been one to back out on my word. Especially not to you!"

Subaru's eyes wavered. "Tea... I don't want you to feel any obligation to me, just because of a stupid bet, and to be honest-"

"I haven't been honest with you, or myself, about my feelings," Teana told her, then crossed the space that separated the two. "But this game has helped me do that, and discover a few things, so I want to apologize."

Before Subaru could realize what she was doing, she found herself grabbed in a hug, and Teana's lips on hers. Shocked, she just stood there as the other girl kissed her, trying to kiss back, until Tea stepped back and turned around.

"Are you really Teana Lanster?" Subaru said after a bit, having thought she saw a bit of a bright red face before the other girl turned around. "Are you some sort of shape-shifting robot?"

"I'll pick you up for our date tomorrow night at 6pm," Tea said, starting to walk away. "You better be ready."

Subaru touched her lips, slowly beginning to smile.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

I love tsunderes. ^_^ Stay tuned for "Allies" next, in which Quattro, Tre, and Sette will star, among a few other surprises. For those curious, I had the positions filled out as per the below

**Team Positions Mages Cyborgs**

Pitcher Teana Subaru

Catcher Zafira Deed

First Base Nanoha Ginga

Second Base Fate Nove

Third base Signum Sein

Shortstop Vita Cinque

Left Field Vice Wendi

Center Field Erio Otto

Right Field Chrono Dieci

Coach Hayate Genya

And now, for the next sneak peak! This will be the next continuation off my Crisis universe, following Red Jewel Diaries, but in the overreaching arc style of Crisis. It will use a lot of the secondary characters, and almost none of the mains. I have another continuation that will take place at the same time that will use the mains; in this way, I can split up the cast into two adventures to use most, if not all, of them. I plan to write both at about the same time. You'll see the sneak peek to the other continuation next chapter!

x~~*~~x

---------------------  
Arisa: _This wasn't the mission, or the homecoming, I had been expecting..._

"They're still out there?" Arisa asked as she entered the office and joined the diplomatic ambassador at the window.

Below, outside the embassy gates, the picketing crowd had grown larger, chanting and carrying signs that said things like "Aliens go home!"

Lindy didn't turn around. "Yes, and because of our latest flub, the TSAB is considering ending our mission. The situation is deteriorating." She finally turned toward her visitor. "The Bureau is considering leaving Earth to itself for now, even if that means it destroys itself."

---------------------  
Suzuka: _And I didn't expect to find out that I was the only member of my family to be carrying secrets..._

As the carnage finally ended, Suzuka tried to still her trembling body, but failed completely.

Shinobu turned to her younger sister, sadness in her eyes, and wiped the blood from her face. "I never wanted you to see me like this..."

---------------------  
Vice: _But despite the hardships, there were some moments of amusement..._

Vice slowly smiled, bemused, as the clean-shaven man in the white suit bent down and took the right hand of the young woman.

"You are Miyuki Takamachi, correct?" he told her, kissing the back of her hand.

A blade was suddenly at the man's throat, so fast that Vice didn't see her draw it.

"And you are?" Miyuki asked, her voice calm and steady.

He smiled, his gaze not wavering from hers. "Verossa Acous. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

---------------------  
Otto: _It was definitely a learning experience..._

The cyborg looked back and forth between the two choices. This was something Otto wasn't entirely comfortable with, but it needed to be done. The wrong choice would have disastrous consequences.

The men's side of the bath... or the women's?

---------------------  
Arf: _But overall... we came, we saw, and we kicked butt!_

"Those two are getting away!" Arisa called over the channel.

"They're mine!" Arf replied eagerly, dropping her golem, Fenrir, from the sky and shifting to four-legged lupine mode.

She landed on the first one of the strange Earth mecha, metal claws and jaws tearing it to ribbons. A booster-assisted leap brought her to the second one, their speed being no match for hers. It was similarly reduced to scrap by Arf's furious feral assault.

But it had been a trap, as three more emerged from the ground, having been hidden. As they trained their weapons on her, she smiled grimly and leapt for the middle one.

"Bring it on!"

---------------------

Presenting a Magical Girl Mecha fanfic...

**Magical G-Squad**

Vice: Hey, I'm not a magical girl...

Coming in February/March 2010...


	6. Allies Part 1

**Red Jewel Diaries**

**Chapter 6: Allies (Part 1)**

Xx~~*~~xX

Nanoha: _"People can really surprise you sometimes. Although I admit I saw the changes in Quattro ever since I started talking to her, she still has a habit of doing things that cause bewilderment. Such was the case when the rehabilitation exam came up for Quattro, Tre, and Sette. Although they passed, I received word that they were turning down sponsors. Was I wrong to think they could change? The events that happened after my meeting with them, certainly proved interesting... and tested my faith, as well as their loyalty and resolve in unexpected ways...."_

x~~*~~x

"We weren't interested," Quattro said simply. "We're not exactly into that whole 'family' thing, and we're not exactly church material, either. All that religious mumbo-jumbo is rather... quaint, but not for me. Belief is hard to come by, when you know the religious figure is just a clone from a dead person."

"You didn't want to be with your sisters?" Nanoha asked in disbelief. "They were a bit saddened when Genya and Carim told them you turned down their sponsorships."

"Feh, we never did get along well with our younger sisters," Tre explained, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What about you, Sette?" Nanoha inquired. "What do you want?"

She shrugged, her face not showing much emotion. "I prefer to stay with my two sisters here."

The Bureau Ace sighed. "Well, if you don't find a sponsor, you'll be in here for a long time. Is that what all of you really want?"

Quattro fixed her with an amused look, her smile widening. "Feel you are looking a bit foolish to your friends and superiors? Afraid you made a mistake in supporting us?"

Nanoha returned the gaze evenly. "No, I still don't believe that. I just want you three to find something in society you can be a part of. No one deserves to be locked away like this."

"We're fighters, assassins," Tre told her, leaning back and closing her eyes. "Living neutered in society doesn't hold much appeal. Perhaps we should have died with Jail."

Nanoha shook her head. "I don't believe that. I'll find some way you three can live with the rest of us. I promise you that." She started for the door, as her visiting time was almost up.

"Careful on making promises you might not be able to keep," Quattro told her in a haunting voice as she turned to look away, but for once, Nanoha could sense a tiny bit of lost hope in her voice.

Or could she be wrong about that?

x~~*~~x

"You want us to what?" Tre asked again in disbelief.

"Become my bodyguards and secret investigators," the human woman repeated in a neutral tone. "You can do what you do best, and I gain some powerful protection. The politics in the upper ranks is a little daunting, and I could use some more powerful pieces."

"Our sister, Due, killed your father, and you are willing to trust us, just like that?" Quattro questioned, sharing Tre's look of disbelief; of all the people in the world, Quattro didn't expect to see her, or hear that kind of offer.

Auris smiled, and Quattro got the feeling that it was somehow genuine. "Let's just say I've come to see the value in not holding onto grudges or preconceived notions, and offering second chances.

Her smile disappeared. "But that's not to say there won't be safeguards. The work will be dangerous, and you'll be taking orders from me, mostly. While the secret work won't get you much acclaim, it will give you the chance to use your abilities to their fullest, and it will be challenging. Outside of work, you can make whatever life you want for yourself; there will be generous rewards to help you in that regard."

Quattro glanced over at Tre and Sette, for once not sure. The offer was rather vague and mysterious, and she did love mysteries, thus, it had it's appeal. Tre's lips were curving upward in an eager grin, but it was the glint in Sette's eyes that finally convinced her; neither one of them would say anything, though, as she had become the trio's unofficial leader.

She turned back to Auris, matching her own smile. "Very well, we're in. We do like dealing with someone who knows how to drive a hard bargain."

Auris nodded, marking something down in the notepad she carried. "Excellent. I hope everything will meet up to your expectations."

"Likewise," Quattro agreed.

x~~*~~x

The transport, a small shuttle, arrived the next morning, with the destination being a ship in orbit that was half the size of the normal TSAB cruisers. She didn't ask why they didn't teleport up, but assumed it would be made clear when they got there. However, Quattro had been involved in planning and executing enough secret ops, to know that they were getting involved into some interesting cloak and dagger stuff; the real dark side of the TSAB.

She chuckled to herself; what delicious irony. She always knew the Bureau wasn't as squeaky clean as it pretended to be, as their own deal with Jail spoke to that. She often wondered if it had ended with Regius's and the council's death and the capture of Jail, but when Auris had approached them, Quattro had suspected that if anything secret was still going on, Auris would have her fingers in it.

The trio was promptly escorted to a briefing room. Auris was seated at the head of the table, while three males and one female who all appeared to be mages, were seated on the far side facing the room entrance.

"What are they doing here!?" one of the younger-looking mages demanded to know, slamming his fist on the table.

"You're out of line, Lt. Benzo," the older man with the short, dark-brown beard told him. "Your opinions are well known, but have no place here. You're a soldier; act like it."

"They are here to assist us on this mission, as you are," Auris told them succinctly, then gestured to the three chairs nearest the cyborgs. "Please, ladies, have a seat and we'll start the briefing."

"I'll start with the introductions, since we'll all be working together for this mission," Auris was saying as the cyborgs took their seats. "I'm sure your team is familiar with the cyborgs Quattro, Tre, and Sette. As for the mages, to my right is Captain Johannes Lucius Ulrich..."

The bigger man with the short, dark-brown beard nodded, his face neutral enough that Quattro couldn't read him. His armor was a mix of blue and black mail that left most of his arms bare.

"...and his Belkan Strike Team. To his right is his second, Lt. Vespertine..."

The woman with the short flaming-red hair with an equally short pair of pig-tails grinned and did a short bow from her seat, which exposed more of her cleavage from her short white tank top. Quattro read something there that almost might have been a kindred spirit; at least, she felt the woman had somewhat looser morals than her male comrades.

"...2nd Lt. Merrit Benzo..."

The next one in line, a clean-shaven male with short dark brown hair and wearing standard enforcer armor, who had spoken up earlier, simply glared at the three cyborgs. Quattro didn't need any special skills to sense the hostility and could probably understand why, but still, it would be fun to torment the man, especially since he was making his feelings so readily apparent.

"...and 2nd Lt. Osius Dale."

The last one had short blonde hair, and as opposed to his comrades, he smiled slightly and gave an appreciative nod, which Quattro found intriguing for some reason; she'd have to keep her eye on him, and maybe do some interrogation later.

"Now for the briefing," Auris continued, darkening the room as a holographic cratered planet appeared in the middle of the table. "This small moon is Epsilon-Theta located in an otherwise empty system of which we'll be arriving at in about 2 hours, and deep inside is a research base of which there are very few who know of it's existence, but it houses some of our most secret projects. We used to get status reports every other day, but for a little over a week now, we haven't heard a thing."

Quattro leaned forward, putting her elbows on the table and threading her fingers in front of her mouth; secret research bases were always full of... interesting things.

"Over a week?" Tre questioned in disbelief. "And you're only investigating now?"

"We thought it might only be communication trouble, but when it didn't clear up after several days, we sent an investigation team to check it out," Auris explained turning her gaze on Tre. "We didn't hear back from them."

"So what was this base researching?" Quattro inquired, her curiosity piqued.

Auris brought up various status screens full of data. "There were numerous projects going on, mostly related to the files we recovered from Jail's computers with regards to Anti-Magic Fields. That's partially why I requested your help, as your cyborg systems will be unaffected should we encounter some hostile AMF inside. There was also research dealing with the salvage we recovered from the various attack robots that came from the Alhazard incident last year."

"So our mission is to infiltrate this facility and determine why contact was lost?" Sette asked in a neutral tone. Quattro was always impressed by the near-consummate, emotionless, soldier attitude of Sette; she was almost the perfect combat cyborg.

"And if there are hostile forces on board, eliminate them and rescue as many non-combatants as possible," Auris added. "I must stress that this base must not fall into the hands of hostile forces; it's security has always been it's anonymity, and if it's too badly compromised, then it must be destroyed."

"So we teleport down to deal with this mess, while you remain safe up here," Quattro noted innocently.

Auris smiled grimly and shook her head, giving Quattro a deadly serious look. "No. Although this ship is much smaller than our cruisers and has some magic to assist in reducing it's detectability, we can't afford to remain in orbit and risk being discovered. We'll be exiting hyperspace very close to the surface and entering a hidden hanger bay along the equator; I'll be coming in with you."

"With all due respect, Bureau Chief Gaiz, I can't allow that," Johanness spoke up. "One of our priorities as enforcers is to ensure the safety of our commanders. You're the Bureau chief of staff and this is an unknown situation; you shouldn't go in."

"Captain, my orders are absolute," she scolded him. "You were told that when you volunteered your unit for this mission. You will carry them out, regardless of your personal feelings. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," he replied quickly, saluting. "I apologize for the outburst."

Auris nodded and asked if there were any other questions, and while there were none, Vespertine did speak up.

"Well," she said, licking her lips. "This looks it'll be fun!"

x~~*~~x

"I don't like this," Tre said when the three were alone in their shared quarters. "Jail always had plenty of intel going into a mission, but there are too many unknowns here."

"But as that delightful woman said, it'll be fun!" Quattro pointed out, amused. She shared Tre's hesitancy, but there was something else there; a bit of an adrenaline-assisted pleasure at the thought of delving into the unknown.

Tre sat down on her bunk, crossing her arms over her chest. "You would think that. What about you, Sette?"

The third cyborg simply shrugged. "It's a mission. I'll carry it out to the best of my abilities."

"Feh, I suppose I'll go to hell with you two," Tre said. "But I have to admit, that woman has guts to come in with us; stupid, but she's got guts. Jail always tried to stay where it was safest. I wonder what her deal is."

Quattro had to agree there; something else was going on, and she didn't like too many mysteries. "I wonder, indeed."

x~~*~~x

Auris closed the door to her small room, sighing at the fact that she couldn't tell them the real reason she had to go. She couldn't tell them about the infighting provisional council members, and how she was seen as a wet-behind-the-ears newbie; she had seen such political struggles during her tenure under her father, as he had been a party to it.

To begin to fight and be seen as a credible force, she needed power in the form of one thing: Allies.

Hayate and her Wolkenritter were a start, and although Auris believed the young Commander to be a bit naïve, she did genuinely like the woman. The world needed strong idealists like that, and Auris needed strong backing, so the two had become friends. And Auris had made the silent pledge to herself, to walk in the dark places so that Hayate could remain clean.

[I'll do what you cannot,] she vowed again. [If I can reclaim this research base that others in the council were hesitant to risk their reputation and resources on, I'll have proven what I can do and gained some measure of power. Quattro's group will give me the edge to do it, which is something the council never would have suspected. By risking my life, I'll have gained a loyal bodyguard group and increased my standing among the upper brass, all in one smooth motion.]

She was glad Hayate had approached her, asking her advice on what to do about Quattro, Tre, and Sette; she never would have considered them otherwise. The other cyborgs were integrating well, and had proven their worth, so Auris thought this gamble was worth taking.

If it didn't kill her first.

x~~*~~x

The ship exited hyperspace on cue and promptly entered the illusion-cloaked hanger. To their relief, the atmosphere shields were still functioning, and life support in the base was operational, but they were unable to contact anyone. Once down, the ramp hatch on the underside of the vessal was lowered, and Johannes and Tre took point exiting the ship, while Vespy and Sette came up second. The ship's small crew of three would stay here.

The Belkan mage captain whistled as he gripped his axe device. "Something certainly happened here."

The inside of the hanger was partially in shambles, witch ceiling struts on the floor, bent and disfigured, while various lights flickered or were out altogether. It was almost a miracle they had managed the landing without running into debris.

"Let's cut the chit-chat," Auris told them, now in a one-piece jumpsuit as she checked her gun and holstered it, the two 2nd Lt's and Quattro covering the rear. "I can't bring up a datalink, so we should head for the central computer core and see if we can obtain a record of what happened here."

"I didn't know you were a mage," Quattro noted with amusement, studying the weapon.

Auris smiled wryly. "I'm not; this is a dumb device loaded with a few cartridges, and I can point and shoot at least. Won't be as effective as you guys, but it's better than nothing."

Quattro nodded and the group moved off, entering a corridor and leaving the hanger as Auris directed them using a schematic of the base. Several doors along the hall were destroyed or covered by debris, or the rooms themselves were trashed. Lights flickered along the route and occasionally sparking wires hung exposed from the ceiling or wall.

Quattro noted that one of the 2nd Lt.'s, Osius Dale, had come up beside her. "I want you to know I don't blame you. Benzo still has some issues, but I heard how you saved people back at the Alhazard incident."

"You'd forgive and trust me so easily, Mr. Dale, was it?" she noted aloud, curious, then smiled deliciously. "That's not a smart course of action. You don't know me; I could betray you."

He nodded. "You still could, but I'll take that chance." He smiled wryly at her and winked. "If it gets me killed, then at least I'll know for sure. And just call me Dale; all my friends do."

Quattro had to admit she was amused. "And you'd call me a friend, although you barely know me, hmm?"

Dale chuckled. "We're comrades, allies, right now. That's as good a reason as any to at least try being friends; after all, we basically have to trust each other with our lives."

"An interesting conclusion, Dale" she told him, licking her lips, then added suggestively, "Perhaps we might become friends after all."

He gave her a wink, and as he dropped back to his rear guard position again, Quattro found him a bit intriguing; he seemed to genuinely want to trust her, even though he recognized the possibility that she could backstab him. What interesting creatures the Bureau mages were.

"Turn right up ahead," Auris directed, looking at her floating holo screen. "The staircase to the next level below should be at the end of the next corridor. Given the destruction we've seen so far, we don't want to risk the elevators."

Johannes nodded as the group approached the T-intersection. Being in the point position, he reached it first, checking it out as he glanced both ways.

"LOOK OUT!" he suddenly shouted, pushing backwards into Vespy and Tre, who bumped backwards into Auris and Quattro, as a half-dozen shots landed around the intersection from the left tunnel.

"What's going on?" Auris shouted, pulling out her gun from the holster on her side.

"There's... something down there," Johannes shouted back, as the two Lieutenants moved up with spears out. "We'll need to go another way."

Another round of bolts landed around the intersection as Tre peeked out, then withdrew. "Looks like some kind of robot, I think. The narrow hallway will make combat difficult; can we double back?"

"The next staircase is a long ways from here," Auris told them, checking the map. "It'll require a lot of backtracking."

"Or we could just remove this nuisance," Quattro told them, smiling evilly as she moved up. "Tre, would you be a dear?"

"I'm on it," she said, standing up. "Wide Impulse!" Her body blurred into a purple flash as it shot around the corridor.

"Benzo, Dale, lay down cover fire while I get Auris to the staircase!" Johannes yelled. "Vespy-"

"I know, I'm gonna give her a hand!" the red-head declared, then raised the large claws on her forearms as she took off running,. "Savage Wind, let's do it!"

"Vespy, WAIT!" Johannes shouted, then cursed silently as he covered Auris, escorted her out into the intersection, and then down the other corridor to the staircase.

Quattro moved out into the junction next, finally getting a look at their attacker. For a moment, it reminded her of the type-1 robots that came from Alhazard with the twin cannons for arms, but it had a silvery sheen and a skull for a head, with two glowing red eyes. Quattro's optical scanners detected the nearly invisible bubble shield that were causing Tre's attacks to bounce off from about one meter away, that also deflected Vespy's claw strikes and Sette's Slaughter blades. The magic blasts Dale and Benzo were firing fared no better, practically fizzling out, but if it was a robot, then Quattro knew she could interface with it and confuse it...

...except she couldn't; somehow, it was shielded against her probing attempts. What exactly was this thing? It fired down the hall again and Quattro instinctively ducked, then realized she was still in one piece, looking up to see Johannes standing there, triangular shield blocking the shots, but he was straining.

"Let's MOVE, fall back for now!" he shouted, the two lieutenants heading for the stair case. "This thing is too strong!"

"You won't get any argument from me," Quattro agreed, standing up. "Tre, Sette, I suggest we follow the temporary retreat."

The two cyborgs and Vespy began leap-frogging back, dodging the red energy bolts the robot kept firing as it slowly advanced. Vespy was shielding the other two to cover their escape, but a shot got through her barrier and hit her side, and she screamed in pain as she collapsed. The two cyborgs managed several more dodging leaps to bring them near Quattro, who had moved back to just inside the stairwell.

Vespy managed to get her rotating triangular shield back up, although Quattro could see she wasn't going anywhere, as the robot advanced on her.. "Go! I'll cover you guys!"

"Captain, what are you doing?" Quattro asked, as the big man was still out there. "You heard her. There's nothing we can do; we need to go!"

"We don't leave people behind!" he barked at her. "Baleorius, Flash Step!"

Quattro was surprised to see him blur, appearing down the corridor to smash his axe into the robot's powerful shield while yelling at Vespy to move, but she was clearly unable to stand. Quattro sighed and nodded at Tre, who zipped down the corridor to grab Vespy and run back. Johannes retreated shortly thereafter, diving down the stairs as his shield failed completely.

The group rapidly descended several flights of stairs, but eventually the rush tapered off as they realized they weren't being pursued, and thus took took a moment to catch their collective breath.

"What the hell was that?" Tre demanded to know. "It almost looked like one of those alhazard robots."

"I'm not sure," Auris replied, taking a look at her notes. "Some of those were sent here to be analyzed to see if they could be of some possible use, but the last transmitted report stated that weaponization was still a bit far off. Apparently, there were things that we weren't being told."

"What a nice organization you have," Quattro noted, voice dripping with amused sarcasm. "Well, it does not appear to be following us, but our rate of progress will be slowed."

Her words and the direction of her gaze brought attention to Benzo, who was treating the wound on Vespy's left side. It was quite bloody, having seared through her black and white one-piece jumpsuit barrier jacket, but the bleeding seemed to have stopped and the bandages were covering it nicely.

"Maybe you're used to doing that, but here we don't leave people behind when we can help it," Benzo shot at her, darkly, and Quattro saw Auris nod slightly in agreement.

Johannes walked up to her. "I'm committed to my duty, and that currently means working together with you cyborgs, even though I don't much care for you, either. But in my unit, we don't leave people behind. You might consider that one reason why you lost before."

Tre was suddenly there, arm in front of Quattro. "Leave her alone, pal! What's in the past is done. We're supposed to be on your side now, in case you haven't noticed!"

"I am well aware of that," Johannes growled. "Just making sure you're aware of how we do things here, and that means I don't leave one of my people to die."

The #4 cyborg shrugged, dismissing argument. "Just stating the obvious facts. But I suggest we keep moving, as that loveable robot may be planning to find us via another route." She touched a finger to her lips. "I wonder if it can't use stairs?"

"I agree," Vespy said, seething as Benzo finished applying the bandages. "I should have been left behind, but now that I'm here, don't let me hold you guys back. I can keep up."

She attempted to stand, obviously bearing a lot of pain, but Dale slipped under her arm. "I'll get her. Benzo, why don't you scout ahead?"

The other man nodded, giving Quattro a look that could kill as he passed her to join Johannes and Auris as they plotted their route. She pondered the meaning of that, as it seemed a bit too hostile for someone who was just regarding a former enemy, one that he had never personally faced.

"Don't let him get to you," Dale told her, walking beside her as he supported the injured Vespy. "His brother lost his life guarding the Einherjar cannons, so he has a pretty powerful grudge against cyborgs, but he's really a decent guy."

"If you can stand him," Vespy added with a chuckle.

She didn't quite understand that, as she hadn't cared whether her sisters lived or died; that kind of concern made one weak. "I see. Well, it's to be expected; despite Jail's commands to limit loss of life, we did take quite a few. I myself offed several during that fight." She watched him from the corner of her eye as they walked, looking for reactions.

He smiled wryly, and a bit sadly. "Well, we were enemies, and it's always tough to become friends with those who once sought to end your life or control you. I suppose I might be angrier if I had lost close friends or relatives, but my unit was lucky. Anyway, not everyone is out for your blood, just wanted to let you know."

"Same here," Vespy agreed, giving her a pained smile, as Benzo returned to trade off supporting her.

Dale gave Quattro a smile and a wink as he dropped back to cover the rear, confusing the cyborg even more; was he playing some game, or was he genuinely trying to make her feel some sort of camaraderie? Either way, he was a fool. It was slightly touching, but he was a fool, nonetheless. The woman, too, for that matter. Quattro could easily see her using both of them and tossing them away if needed.

The group continued moving through the ruined base, now conscious of the deathly silence that echoed around them, ever alert for more signs of the robot. They realized now, why they hadn't found any survivors. There were bodies, both from soldiers on guard, and scientists in white lab coats; based on the blast marks, it was safe bet that they were casualties from the robot, making them more consciously aware they could be next, but a couple of hours passed

And that's when the door to the next section slid open, revealing a familiar grinning skull face.

Johannes threw up another shield just as it unloaded, the team scattering down hallways, but his barrier didn't last long, shattering under the heavy barrage throwing his body down the hall they came from. The robot was advancing on them through the doorway, firing, as the big man tried to scramble out the way.

It turned to Quattro next, and she suddenly found herself tackled as bolts sailed just overhead..

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, pushing the man off her.

Dale grinned. "Sorry, stupid male bravado, and here's some more!"

He charged in with Tre and Sette his spear glancing off the thing's shields, then dodging as it fired on them. For a robot, it's reaction times and aim seemed to be rather poor, but she chalked it up to shoddy construction; but maybe it had limits, too. Quattro began analyzing again as she retreated, and her two cyborg sisters and the two mages took turns pounding on it's shield and getting it's attention.

"Benzo, get Auris and Vespy out of here, we'll cover your retreat!" Johannes shouted, but he probably didn't need to bother; the trio were already moving back down the corridor to duck around a corner. "Damn think has an AMF, it's hard to gather magic to use against it."

While the others were now back far enough, Quattro couldn't see how Johannes, Dale, Sette and Tre could safely escape back down the long corridor; they were only evading it's beams by quickly circling around it or flying above it, and it only had two cannons to fire, so it couldn't train on all of them.

Then she detected something interesting, as it stepped back through the doorway, firing all the while. Johannes used the opportunity to hit the switch that close it, and the four made their quick escape

x~~*~~x

"We have to kill that thing," Quattro said at last when the group had retreated far enough.

"Brilliant suggestion," Benzo barked at her. "How do you feel we should go about getting past it's impenetrable shield to do that?"

"I don't think it's impenetrable," Quattro replied, enjoying holding secrets that others wanted to know. "It pulled back after awhile; Wonder why that is?"

"It was starting to run low on power, or it's shield was close to collapse," Sette concluded, causing Quattro to sigh; the girl was also quite perceptive, in addition to being a good soldier.

Auris crossed her arms over her chest, thoughtful. "So, you feel we can overload it's shield enough to get something through?"

"Close," Quattro told her. "I've been analyzing the data I scanned from our encounters. Even though I can't hack its systems, I got a reading on it's power source,.or sources I should say; next to a more conventional power generator is a relic. That cute thing is drawing magic itself to power both a strong AMF, and an equally strong shield for kinetic impacts. But there is an interesting weakness in it's programming."

"Where the hell did you see a weakness in all that?" Benza demanded to know.

"There does appear to be a large power drain to maintain both the AMF and the kinetic bubble shield," Quattro explained. "But as you attacked, the lower shield strength was diverted to the mid and upper portions, as that's where your attacks were focused." She smiled deliciously. "So this is what we need to do..."

x~~*~~x

"IT'S COMING!" came Benzo's shout from down the hall, a moment before he emerged into the larger open storage room and dove behind several crates.

Auris fired a few shots from the upended shelf that served as her cover, as the grinning-skull robot slowly walked into the room to the whine of it's motors, returning shots and then some. They had hidden the injured Vespy in a closet nearby, so they set this trap up, and now was the time to spring it.

Quattro analyzed the situation, and then gave the signal. "Now!"

Tre and Sette attacked from the right and left sides, impacting the shield with their weapons, trying to push through. The robot began to swivel it's arms to the sides to hit them, but the two cyborgs managed to get their hands just far enough in to grab the barrels, holding them with their enhanced strength. Johannes dropped from the ceiling then, slamming his axe down, pausing in mid-air as he impacted the shield.

"Now, Dale!" Quattro called, as the Lieutenant sprang up and pointed his spear.

Tre was doing her best to hold the arm still through the shield, obviously in pain, energy blasts firing dangerously close to her body. But then it started swinging it's weapon back towards the front as Dale charged in, spear first. It fired several shots upward at an angle, striking the ceiling, and Quattro watched in shock as wreckage rained down upon the sprinting Lieutenant, burying him under a lot of debris.

"Can't hold it much longer!" Tre shouted through clenched teeth, seemingly unaware that their finishing shot had just been neutralized. "Need to hurry!"

Quattro just stood there, staring at the mound of debris, feeling something decidedly uncomfortable that she had never felt before. For once, she couldn't think; she didn't know what to do. She just kept seeing the debris landing on him.

"QUATTRO!" Auris called, then cursed as she leapt over her barricade, hitting buttons on her gun. "Everyone get clear and take cover in 10 seconds!" She wound up and slid the weapon across the floor, sliding just under the bubble shield that had left the floor to focus more power up above.

Sette cried out as the arm she was holding fired and struck her left shoulder, then she and Tre were finally tossed aside as Johannes leapt off. Aurisa tackled Quattro to the ground a split second before there was a powerful explosion, then all went silent for several long moments.

"Everyone alright?" the captain's voice rang out, causing Quattro to remember and leap to her feet, running over to the pile in the middle, desperately digging.

"Yeah, and looks like we finally killed that thing," Tre replied, leaning down to pick up it's skull. "Overloading your gun for a magic explosion was a smart move."

"Dale's in here!" Quattro called out, causing the other members of their group to come help. In moments, they had pulled enough of the rubbish off to reveal his upper body, and Quattro felt an internal chill.

Laying on his back, he coughed, blood trickling out of the side of his mouth. "By the looks... on your faces... I don't appear... to be in good shape, eh?"

"Your legs are crushed, and you have two thin bars puncturing your stomach, among other cuts and lacerations," Johannes told him solemnly, his face unreadable. "I'm afraid that's more damage than we can deal with."

"I kinda figured," he replied, trying to chuckle and act brave, but dissolving into a coughing fit. When it subsided, he glanced up at Quattro and smiled. "Looks like... I won't see if you're... trustworthy or not, heh."

"There has to be something we can do," Quattro reasoned, seeing the young Lt. alive and smiling in her mind, but why was that? "You aren't supposed to leave a man behind, right?" Their somber faces gave her no satisfactory answer.

"There's nothing we can do for him," Auris said softly. "And we have a mission to complete."

"You're all stupid!" she fired darkly at them. "You talk that righteous talk, but you really can't back it up! I don't know why I even considered... bah."

"Quattro..." came the injured man's softening voice, as he reached up and touched her hand, staining the back of it with some of his blood, before letting it drop again. "Thank you..."

Lieutenant Ossius Dale closed his eyes for the last time.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

This is another one that was initially planned for one part, but realized there was more I needed to cover, so split it into two. There's more fun comin' up, as they need still need to determine what went wrong and get out, and there will be quite a few hiccups in that regard.


	7. Allies Part 2

**Red Jewel Diaries**

**Chapter 7: Allies (Part 2)**

Xx~~*~~xX

Quattro: _"I've never kept personal logs before; there's always a chance someone could find them and learn something to use against you; and I've seen death before, and helped kill many, so I'm not quite sure what is different now. I keep seeing Dale in my mind, buried there, smiling as he saw his end coming, and I just feel cold inside. I'm a combat cyborg, made for espionage and battle; emotions are useless except to use to prey upon your target's senses. Why the hell am I here?"_

x~~*~~x

The mood was somber as the group trekked further along through the seemingly massive complex. The robot had been destroyed over an hour ago so they didn't fear more attacks, and yet the joyous reason why was marred by the solemn thought of what was lost from their actions in doing so. Quattro couldn't tell how the rest of the group was taking it, but they seemed to be holding up, although there wasn't much talk other than Auris's directions.

And all the while, Quattro could feel the intensified glares tossed her way from 2nd Lt. Merrit Benzo. She didn't need any of her extra senses to tell her why; it was her plan that killed a member of his team, thus she was once again responsible for killing someone close to him. If there was even a chance he might forgive her, it was gone now.

Johannes and Tre were still taking point, having fallen into a kind of unspoken teamwork professionalism role, with the way they would handle checking out around corners and through doors. Quattro found it almost a bit amusing, or maybe would have in other circumstances, but she just didn't feel like it now; she just wanted to complete this mission and get out of here.

In fact, the question to leave now had come up to head out before they lost anyone else, but Auris was adamant on recovering the data from the main computer to find out what happened and preserve the research, and then activate the self-destruct mechanism; otherwise, this trip meant nothing. Also, there was still a chance for some survivors, as she had been picking up a strange intermittent energy signal coming from ahead on their route; they'd pass close to it on the way to the main computer core.

"The energy signal should be just around the corner and then about a hundred meters down the next corridor," Auris told them, studying her data pad. "I-"

The metal panels to the left of them suddenly exploded, tossing most of them against the far wall. As Quattro picked herself up, rubbing her head, the cold feeling returned in force: through the dusty haze, the grinning skull and red eyes of the silvery robot stared back at her, raising it's arm, the darkened barrels beginning to glow with red energy.

[Another one!?] she thought, incredulous, but that was the only thought she had time for.

Reacting quickly, Quattro activated her silver curtain to go invisible, throwing up all manner of jamming and interference; while she hadn't been able to hack their systems yet, she could make herself a more difficult target. It might have just worked, too, as the spot she had just vacated was promptly filled with energy blasts, before it switched to another target.

"Are we sure we destroyed this thing?" Vespy growled, getting back her feet and holding her side, dodging at it continued to spray fire across the group.

"There's no way it could have regenerated from that!" Tre declared in disbelief.

Johannes began barking out orders. "Tre and I will divert it's attention. Benzo, help cover Auris and Vespy's retreat. Quattro, go with them."

Sette brought up one blade with her good right arm. "I can still fight."

"I don't need you to tell me what to do," Quattro told him testily. "I... what is he doing?"

"Benzo!" Johannes shouted as the young lieutenant roared in anger and charged the robot.

[He's going to get himself killed,] the thought came unbidden to the #4 cyborg. She also realized that, though everyone else was moving, she was the only one close enough to him to stop him before he reached point-blank range.

Her body seemingly moved of its own accord, as she tackled Benzo against the wall draped her invisible countermeasures around him, weapons fire occupying the space his body had been in a moment before.

"You're not cut out to play the hero," she hissed at him, using her superior cyborg strength to keep a hold of him. "I've made you invisible, stop struggling and let's get out of here before you do something stupid again."

He seemed to relent under her superior grip, but she still kept a firm hold of him as she flew against the ceiling, over the robot, to join the rest of the group on the other side of the corridor. Johannes and Tre seemed to work on the same unspoken signal, attacking the top of the corridor as it stepped through, beginning a chain reaction that brought the entire ceiling down upon it and allowing the small group to escape.

"Let me go!" Benzo demanded, trying to yank his arm from Quattro's grasp as she landed and made them visible again.

Johannes roughly grabbed him from Quattro. "As long as you're in my unit, you follow my orders! You don't go off on your own, half-cocked. Is that understood!?"

He appeared somewhat repentant, although still angry, but still managed to spit out a: "Yes, sir."

Quattro sighed as the Captain left him alone and Benzo sulked, but was surprised when Sette came up besides him on his right when they started walking again.

"Your captain cares about you very much," she told him plainly. "And I don't think anyone here wants to lose you."

He seemingly tried to glare at her, but noticed her bandaged arm hanging limply at her side, and turned to face forward again. "What do you care?! You damn cyborgs aren't even human."

"Partially true," she told him. "But all the same, I wouldn't like to see you die."

He fell quiet then as Sette moved away, and Quattro became amused for a reason she couldn't quite fathom, but didn't have more time to ponder as Auris gestured them to come closer to her. In a hushed voice, she told that the energy signal was coming froma pair of double doors against the side of the corridor, just ahead. Johannes and Tre moved to either side of them, nodded at each other, then burst the doors open into what looked like a cafeteria, but promptly froze at what they found inside.

The small group found a slightly larger group of people staring back at them, surprise evenly distributed on all faces present. The white frocks of the larger group inside, that denoted most of them as scientists, were marred by dirt and sweat.

"Have you come to rescue us?" one of the men asked tentatively. "How did you get past the T-units?"

"T-units?" Tre questioned, confused. "You mean those damn robots that keep ambushing us?"

"I am Auris Gaiz, here to find out why contact was lost with this facility," she announced, walking to stand in front of the Johannes and Tre as the rest of the group entered and closed the doors. "We tracked a strange energy signal to this location. What happened here?"

"I can anzwer dat queztion!" came an authoritative voice from near the back, causing the disheveled group to part and reveal him. "I am Dr. Zerner Vun Brown, head of zis fazility. I had hoped zomeone who arrived would pick up zee signal we were sending. But you can thank zis uneducated oaf here for zis mess we are currently in, Dr. Luiz!"

Despite his shorter stature, Zerner reached up and smacked one of the taller men on the back of the head, who looked suitably meek, which Quattro found amusing; clearly, the eccentric older man with tufts of graying hair on the sides of his head was in charge. His thick spectacles only added to the surreal, yet humorous, image.

"It was an honest mistake, and there's nothing that can be done to change the past!" a female voice from farther away chided him and, given the subtle looks between the woman and Luiz, Quattro's trained mind instantly deduced that there was some kind of romantic attachment there. She was also holding a data pad that was hooked up by several wires to revealed circuitry behind a missing wall pane.

"That iz Dr. Guina," Zerner informed them. "Computer Zcience specializt."

"What exactly did happen here, Doctor?" Auris asked again, as the group split up around the room.

Quattro leaned against a wall, crossing her arms over her chest to listen.

"The group of Dr. Luiz waz rezearching zee computer viruz we recovered from zee database of Jail Scaglietti," Zerner started to explain. "It vas incomplete, and thus was not used. What was zo zpecial about siz viruz you may ask? It vas intelligent! Well, not as much as uz humanz, but it knew how to grow and adapt. Dr. Luiz was working to make it more controllable viz magic, but he forgot to reinforze ze firewallz and zo the viruz infected the network. Shut off zee communication grid firzt and took over ze fazilty rather quickly. Quite an imprezzive speciman from zat perspective! Shut all zee containment doorz to trap uz all next; I barely managed to get uz here."

[A virus!] Quattro noted with interest, searching her memories. [That would explain why I had difficulty hacking them; something was actively blocking me. But that virus sounds somewhat familiar...]

"And those robots?" Tre inquired again, and Quattro could tell she wasn't the only one having a bit of a difficulty understanding this scientist. "Speaking of which, we encountered one not too far from here; why hasn't it killed you yet?"

"Zee T-unitz were my project," he admitted. "I had made three prototypes for testing, combining a relic and AMG generator into zee type-1's to give them greater defensez, as we could not duplicate ze Alhazard power zource, but zee viruz infected them and took control. It iz quite clever, yes? But I managed to switch zem into guard mode. Zee alhazard robotz had two hardwired modez: Attack and Guard. Zo far, zee viruz has been content to let zem stay that way, and content to let uz stay alive here; I prezume it may need uz for zomething."

"Wait, the doors were all open when we came through," Johannes noted.

"Probably to trap you all here in with uz," Zerner deduced, adjusting his thick glasses. "Zee only good news is zat life zupport iz on a completely zeparate and well-protected zystem so it could not infect and shut it off."

"Then I suppose I can't download the main computer, if it's been infected," Auris realized, adding information to her data pad. "But I can get you people out of here. We have a ship in the hanger, so we just need to reach it. We also need to activate the self-destruct system; do you have access to that?"

Zerner shook his head. "Not from here. We tried hacking into zee mainframe, but have had limited zucess. Zee viruz has locked down almozt everything."

"And I don't think we'll be getting out via your ship, either," Dr. Guina informed them. "We've managed to get into some systems, but can only look around; we can't actually change anything. One of them is the security system and this is a view of the hanger; your ship looks a bit worse for wear."

Quattro joined Auris, Tre, and Johannes as they headed over to get a better look, the latter cursing under his breath as he noticed their busted-up spaceship. The robots, or something else, had done quite a number on it, and Quattro briefly wondered what happened to the small crew, then sighed and closed her eyes, trying to recall that specific memory...

"Well, there goes are chances of getting out of here," the captain noted darkly.

"Not quite," Auris told him. "I had made arrangements earlier that if I didn't report in several hours after arriving here, another ship would be sent to check up on us. Based on passed time, it should be arriving in the next couple of hours; we just need to be in the hanger to meet it."

"That means getting past the robots again," Tre remarked. "It was hard enough with our small group; I don't see that our chances are much better if we're escorting all these civilians."

"We aren't leaving them behind," Johannes told her pointedly, giving her a deadly-serious look.

Tre sighed and rolled her eyes. "I didn't say that; cool it, big boy. But it does leave the question of how we're going to get out of here."

Quattro opened her eyes and smiled as she remembered. "Leave it to me. May I see that pad? It's connected to the main infected system, right?"

Guina handed it over, nodding. "Yes, but I told you we can only look around; we can't affect anything."

"Maybe you can't, but there's oh so many fun things I can do," she told the other woman, giving her best secretive smile. "I remembered a bit about this virus; it was an old project of Jail's, abandoned because he couldn't control it sufficiently. But I can recall a bit about it's coding, and why it didn't affect me when I tried to interface with the robot: I'm immune."

"So you can make the computer system immune?" Guina asked hopefully, while Zerner regarded her with scientific interest.

"No, because it's hardwired into me as part of my cyborg brain," she replied, wirelessly linking her mind to the device and thus the system, beginning to look around. "But now that I know what I'm up against, I can generate some delightful digital lies for the virus to play with; I should be able to lead the robots exactly where I want them."

"That just leaves the matter of the self-destruct, then," Auris said. "We'll need someone to head several levels down to manually overload the power core when the ship gets here."

"If someone's gotta sacrifice themselves to blow this dump up, I'll do it," Vespy volunteered. "I'm injured already."

"You're out of line, Lieutenant," Johannes told her. "As the Captain, it would be my duty to take that kind of a mission to protect the lives of my squad."

"I can't let you do that, Captain!" she argued back. "We both know it has to be me!"

Quattro sighed as she poked around the system, noting the virus leaving her alone as she suspected. "Silly mages, so quick to sacrifice yourselves. I presume Ms. Gaiz has some more words for us?"

Auris nodded at her, bemused. "You can set a timer on the core overload, so you'll have enough time to reach the surface. With the right route and moving at a good speed, you can reach the hanger in 15-20 minutes easy."

"I'll do it," Tre declared, giving the captain a fierce look. "I can move faster than anyone else."

Johannes nodded at her slowly, conceding the point. "We'll take the scientists to the hanger, then. What about the robots?"

Quattro handed the pad back to Guina now that she was attuned to the system, and sighed. "They'll only be fooled temporarily, but I can't say as to how long. The virus is rather quick at adapting, and there are only so many permutations I throw before it sees through them all. I'm afraid I'll have to go to the core with Tre as well, to lead the robots down that way so your group can make it to the surface."

"You're going to sacrifice yourself?" Benzo said out loud in disbelief. "We could barely handle one as a full group, and you're going to have both of those damn robots on you!"

"Awww, I didn't think you cared!" she teased him, which shut him up. "But to answer your question, while I'm not thrilled about this, it's the only way. I shouldn't be sacrificing myself if everything goes right."

Auris checked the time. "Then let's rest up for another hour or so, before we begin."

x~~*~~x

"Something about my arm interests you?" Sette asked from the table she was sitting at, eating a bit of food the survivors had access to, being in the cafeteria.

"Is your arm any better?" he asked, sitting down to her left, and she could tell he was surprised she noticed he was staring at her from behind.

Sette half-shrugged as she glanced at the patchwork bandage job Tre had done on her upper arm. "It's of little consequence; I've shut down pain receptors and most motor functions to my arm. The loss of its use is a bit annoying, but I'll be fine once I get repairs."

"Must be nice to just shut off pain receptors like that," Benzo replied, digging into his small meal. "Do cyborgs even feel anything to begin with? Like guilt for killing people?"

"They can," Sette informed him. "My sisters staying at the Nakajima residence and the Saint Church have told me they do."

He fixed her a curiously soft glare. "Not you?"

"I did what I was ordered to at the time, to protect my sisters" she told him, then stopped eating, looking down at her bowl. "Still... when I think about it now, it is not something I care to repeat." She looked up at him. "Did you not wish to protect your own comrades?"

"Of course I did!" Benzo shot back adamantly. "I would have killed to protect my brother!"

"Then you can understand how me and my sisters felt," she told him. "Although it is regrettable what happened, and I am glad that we don't have to fight each other anymore. Still, you mages were worthy opponents. I'm not sure who your brother was, but I'm sure he fought with everything he had to protect those he cared about."

Benzo seemed to deflate a bit, although Sette was never very good at reading people; that was more Quattro's department. Still, his eyes were a bit different when he looked back up at her.

"I know a thing or two about devices," he told her. "I used to tinker a lot. I could take a look at it, if you want."

She shrugged. "If you wish."

x~~*~~x

The doors to the cafeteria burst open once more and Tre and Johannes signaled that the coast was clear, then Quattro joined them, helping to keep watch as the scientists began filing out. She had sent the false signal several minutes ago, so the remaining T-units should be converging on her position soon.

"I'll send the signal when the ship arrives, so you know when to start the core overload," Auris told the pair. "Just like we planned. Be careful you two."

Quattro gave her a condescending smile. "My my, you don't have to worry about us. This is nothing compared to what we've been through."

Auris took her hand and shook it anyway, surprising the #4 cyborg. "Then I'll just do this, and look forward to seeing you on the ship."

And for once, Quattro didn't know what to say in response as she looked at the hand shaking hers curiously, finding the odd gesture of respect to be a bit disturbing.

Johannes turned toward Tre and nodded at her. "Same to you. I trust you won't let us down."

"Feh," Tre said, waving him off. "Don't get yourself killed."

The groups split up then, Quattro and Tre flying down the corridors while the rest headed up. The pair of cyborgs made straight for the next staircase, as Quattro had impressed on them the need to keep moving quickly.

"Any idea where they are now?" Tre asked.

Quattro tapped her head. "Now that I'm tied into the security tracking system, I can keep tabs on them quite nicely as they chase the phantom group I have heading for the power generator. Both units are moving to intercept, but we should reach the core before them." She blinked. "Nevermind that, the system just went down, so now we're flying blind."

"Swell," Tre replied dourly. "So we could come under attack at any-"

The rest of her sentence was cut off, as a robot appeared at the far end of the corner and began firing on them, causing the pair to begin dodging, but Tre grabbed Quattro as she could fly faster, and the latter made them invisible for the moment.

"Oh ho, you just had to open your mouth," Quattro teased as the pair flew past the searching robot.

"Shut up," Tre barked at her.

x~~*~~x

They ran into a few more close calls as they casually and randomly moved around, leading the robots in circles. As Quattro had explained, she was feeding them data suggesting that it was the entire group moving towards this critical area, rather than the two of them, and hiding the real group from the base's sensors. The virus was falling for it so far, sending it's two remaining robots to keep intercepting them. But Quattro also knew her permutations were running out.

Eventually, they headed straight for the computer core and Tre wasted it; while the virus still had numerous systems to hide in, the loss of the core would slow it down some, and that allowed them to more easily reach the huge circular power generator room, which left both in awe of it's size. Catwalks extended around it, and the core itself was down in the a pit in the middle, electrical arcs connecting the sides of the chasm to the ball of brightly glowing reddish-orange energy. Tre walked to the railing to look down into it, while Quattro began checking out computer terminals.

The #3 cyborg whistled. "Powerful stuff down there; would vaporize anything in an instant." She looked up. "Did you find what you needed? Can you overload the core?"

"Oh yeeesss," Quattro nearly purred, smiling happily. "It's not that much different than the power cores Jail used, just on a larger, more refined scale. It's a simple matter to ramp up the power and disengage the safeties, while closing all outward energy conduits. Power that has nowhere to go, just builds until it goes boom."

"One big enough to take out the entire moon?" Tre asked, trying visualize it.

"Perhaps," Quattro replied absently, tapping away. "At least one big enough to take out the base."

"LOOK OUT!" Tre shouted, activating her IS and flying across the room to tackle Quattro behind a computer terminal, as several bolts impacted her location a split second after.

"Hmm, they got here a bit earlier than I expected," Quattro remarked. "Any ideas? I need a bit more time to ready the exact specifics of the overload."

"You're the idea person, not me!" Tre growled back at her, to the tune of several more energy blasts landing nearby.

Quattro thought for a bit. "Yes, I suppose I am. Wait for the right moment to strike, you'll know it when you see it."

"What moment-WAIT!" the #3 cyborg shouted as Quattro took off flying, splitting off a dozen illusionary clones.

Growling, Tre watched the robot continue to advance into the room, firing on all the rapidly flying clones, but it's targeting was more specific; it was definitely trying to avoid hitting certain pieces of equipment, although the clones seemed to be somewhat effective, as it was firing on them.

And then Tre saw what Quattro was trying to do, as the robot walked to the edge of the catwalk. The #3 cyborg activated her IS and flew in, cutting up the catwalk in a semi-circle around the robot, sending it plummeting into the core below, but a stray shot grazed the real Quattro as it fell. The clones all disappeared as Quattro began to fall. Tre put on speed, quickly catching her sister as the robot was vaporized, checking the cyborg's side injury.

"I'll live, but we have another problem," the #4 cyborg said, seething, meeting her sister's eyes.

Tre realized it too; where was the other robot?

x~~*~~x

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Johannes shouted to Auris and the group of scientists, smashing his axe against the bubble shield. "We'll hold it while you get to the ship!"

Auris nodded. "Good luck, and don't be too long; we'll be waiting for you above!"

He jumped away as it turned to fire on him, but Sette came in from behind, twirling with both blades to repeatedly strike the shield, twisting out the way as it switched targets to her. Vespy followed up with her claws next, slashing, scraping and creating sparks against it's shields, as they took turns striking it from all sides, knowing they had to wear down its energy level.

Benzo waited for the next moment, sliding in low to lance his spear under the shield as it raised off the ground, cutting into it's ankle. "I got it!"

In the next moment, a third arm unfolded from it's right side, thrusting out to grab his neck. Benzo dropped his spear, trying to pry the tight grip off as it lifted him up and slowly choked him, pulling him painfully against the shield while it used it's twin guns on the remaining three.

"Hold on, Benzo!" Johannes called, coming in from above again, slamming his axe down as hard as he could, and popping multiple cartridges which ejected from the head of the axe shaft. "Shield Break!"

"Schildbruch," Baleorius intoned in a male monotone voice as the axe blade cut into the shield a bit, but the powerful AMF was dissipating the magic almost as fast as it could be gathered.

However, Sette did notice the shield leave more of the floor to counter the attack from on top.

"Get ready to follow up," the cyborg told Vespy as she ran in, diving to the ground and twisting onto her back, sliding just under the weakening shield and tossing one of her blades up with her still-damaged-but-somewhat-functional left arm.

Vespy ran in, grabbing Benzo as the blade cut the arm holding him, pulling him farther away. Sette glanced up at Johannes, who noticed her look and jumped off, then she thrust her remaining blade straight up, splitting the robot from crotch to sternum.

"Sette!" Benzo coughed, watching the robot explode point blank with the cyborg still underneath, but unable to run in due to Vespy holding him tightly. "Let me go!"

She eventually did after the explosion and smoke died down, following him in along with her captain, inhaling sharply at the sight. The cyborg was charred all over, bleeding from cuts caused by shrapnel, exposing parts of her mechanized limbs and the circuitry within.

Sette's head, the skin on the left side being heavily flayed open, turned to face straight up with difficulty, and her voice was more robotic sounding when she spoke. "It is good... to see you are alright... Lt. Merrit Benzo."

"Why the hell did you do that!?" Benzo shouted at her, kneeling down beside her.

"I am... a cyborg," Sette intoned. "It was only natural.... that I be the one... to protect my comrades. Now... you must escape. I cannot... move to join you."

Johannes crossed his arms over his chest. "We will, however..."

"...there is something you haven't learned yet," Vespy finished for him, smiling slightly.

Benzo helped the cyborg up into a sitting position, draping her right arm across his shoulders. "We don't leave our people behind."

Sette blinked as Johannes draped her left arm around his shoulders, and the two men picked her up, moving quickly to catch up with the scientist group.

x~~*~~x

"That's it, let's go!" Quattro called hitting the initiation key as she received the signal from Auris and taking off, flying for the exit with Tre right beside her. "Oh, that's not good..."

Tre noticed the blast doors closing, too, and grabbed her sister. "Hold on! Wide Impulse!"

The pair blazed under the blast door, and under the next dozen as every corridor seemed to be locking itself down; even despite their speed, all the doors were closing at the same rate, and Quattro knew they'd never make it to the hanger. Soon enough, they just barely cleared one and grazed the bottom of the corridor, sending the pair out of control as they tumbled across the floor to slam into the next door, now fully closed.

Tre immediately jumped to her feet and tried to bust it open, but discovered it was thicker than a normal door and made out of harder material, which made sense; they were designed to contain hazardous things.

"These blast doors are too strong!" Tre growled, trying to pry them open, then resorted to striking them over and over with her glowing impulse blades. "And why now!?"

While she was making rents, the door was thick, and she knew it would take too long to work through so many. She finally pounded it once with her fist in frustration and went still.

"Probably the virus, trying to trap us here for overloading the core," Quattro replied half-heartily. "Or maybe it was a safety system I forgot to disengage. I must be slipping."

She sighed and sat down, never imagining her end coming this way, and she felt strangely calm about it for some reason, wondering why that was; when Nanoha had turned her Divine Buster on her in the cradle, she was afraid, but here and now, she didn't feel a trace of fear. She rubbed her temples, contemplating it.

"Why did you volunteer for this?" Tre asked after a few moments of silence, still bracing herself against the door.

"I thought it was obvious," Quattro replied. "I was the only one who could lead the robots around so the second group could make it to the hanger."

Tre turned on her, shaking her sister up a bit. "Don't give me that! I've worked with you long enough to know what you can do. I bet you could have found a way to maintain that illusion stuff while someone else went to the core, like just me."

Quattro laughed. "Do you want me to say I willingly sacrificed myself for this? That somehow, I came to care about these damn mages? That maybe they rubbed off me? You'd be waiting a long time to hear that."

Tre checked her internal chronometer. "Perhaps I only need to wait another 5 minutes and 28 seconds or so. At least Sette will survive. As will the rest of our sisters." She sighed and sat down next to her sister, quiet for a moment, then: "Still, even if it was for a short time, it wasn't too bad."

"Mmm, perhaps," Quattro replied, beginning to smile slightly.

"What?" Tre demanded to know, seeing the look on her sister's face. "We're about to be blown up with the rest of the moon, and you're smiling. What do you know?"

"Nothing at all," Quattro replied. "Just that I suppose it was... slightly nice to have comrades like those. They are amusing, if nothing else."

Tre studied her sister's face for several moments, then gave up. "Feh, fine then, take your secrets to your grave. Somehow it suits you. I-"

She paused abrubtly and gazed at Quattro in shock as she felt it, seeing the wicked grin in return, instantly knowing what Quattro's secret was.

The pair promptly vanished and appeared somewhere else, and as they looked up, the small crowd around them slowly began to clap. Even Quattro was stunned as Benzo reached down grabbed her hand, helping her to her feet, Johannes doing the same for Tre. Even Nanoha and Hayate were there, applauding and smiling at them.

"Congratulations, you two," Auris told them with a grin, then looked around at the rest. "Congratulations to all of you on a job well done."

"Did we blow up the moon, then?" Tre asked in wonder, still trying to get over her shock.

"See for yourself," Auris told them, bringing up a large holographic screen showing the moon. "We've been receiving readings for the past couple of minutes. It should blow up right about... now."

As she said that, half of the moon erupted with various reddish-orange geysers, before the rest of the east face melted and dissolved. The explosion bubbled outward and there was a bright flash, then the remaining half of the moon also split into two chunks, flying away from each other along with the rest of the debris.

"The virus is eliminated, and with the scientists we rescued, we can begin more careful research now," Auris continued. "It wasn't entirely what I wanted, but it's a good enough."

Tre glanced around, noticing someone missing. "Wait, where's Sette?"

"She's in the medical ward being treated," Nanoha told them. "I can take you to her, this way."

x~~*~~x

Hayate turned to Auris sighing as the group broke up. "So everything went okay?"

The other woman nodded. "There were some bumps, and a few times I wondered if I was still sane, but surprisingly it all worked. We lost Lt. Ossius Dale, though; it's not going to be easy to write a letter to his family, explaining that there is no body, and that I can't tell them what he died for, other than in protection of others."

"It's never easy," Hayate replied, recalling her own letters that she had to write in the wake of the JS and Alhazard incidents. "But you know, you could have told me what you were up to. It wasn't exactly pleasant to get a time-delayed recording popping up, telling me you were probably in trouble and needed rescuing or you'd die; you had me worried half to death! You're just lucky I was able get a ship."

"I had faith in you," Auris told her, smiling in amusement. "Something else you taught me."

Hayate brought up a holographic window, showing the cyborgs in the medical bay. "So, you really want them, then? Think they'll really work out?"

Auris thought awhile as she watched and listened to their conversation, then nodded as her smile turned gentle. "I think they'll work out just fine."

x~~*~~x

"What the hell happened to you!?" Tre nearly shouted, taking in the nearly mummified Sette.

"I think I may have gone a bit too far," the #7 cyborg replied a bit ashamed, her voice still a bit robotic sounding. "I am not sure entirely why, either."

"Feh, I think none of us are right in the head anymore," Tre replied sourly. "It's going to take some getting used to."

"So, what are your thoughts now?" Nanoha inquired, bemused, but looking more at the quiet Quattro.

The #4 cyborg sighed and tossed up her hands. "Okay, you got me, the Bureau mages are an impressive breed. At least, that's what you want me to say, yes?"

She smiled slightly in an odd manner and but tipped her head in Johannes's direction as he nodded at her. He and Benzo were visiting Vespy, who was also confined to the medical ward over her injury, which she had reopened in that last round of combat. Nanoha found that Quattro was even more inscrutable than before, but somehow got the impression things had changed for her, and perhaps she was only offering a token amount of resistance to that change.

"Although I'll admit I am beginning to understand why Jail's side lost so often," Quattro added, surprising Nanoha by the sheer honesty in the tone. "Something about your merry little group pushes people to meet any situation.

A more familiar and mysterious smile appeared on her face next. "And I think it might be fun to stick around and see what comes up next..."

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

Thanks again to Nijiru for Johannes, and OZ7UP for Vespy. I can't say if I'll ever use them again, but it's possible. I mainly wanted them to represent the mixed feelings of the rest of the TSAB, and to give a group for the cyborgs to bounce off that wasn't the standard Nanoha cast.


	8. Life Part 1

Warning: This chapter (and the next) are slightly lime-scented!

**Red Jewel Diaries**

**Chapter 8: Life (Part 1)**

Xx~~*~~xX

Nanoha: _"I actually didn't know much about Chrono and Amy's past, despite the fact that we talked occasionally. Chrono never opened up much, and Amy seemed a bit reluctant to say much about their shared history together, and I didn't want to pry. When they announced their intention to wed, however it caught me off guard, and I always suspected there was more going on than they let on. But due to an incident in my life, I decided to visit with Amy for advice. What I got, was something much, much more..."_

x~~*~~x

"Do I really have to do this?" Vivio complained as her mother straightened her coat. It was winter in Japan at the moment, and so was a bit chilly.

"I thought you liked playing with Karel and Liera?" Nanoha asked, surprised. "You three seemed to get along fairly well at the twin's last birthday party.

"Only because other kids were there to distract them," she replied glumly, remembering how those two were a little too... weird for her. "The boys mainly played by themselves, and Liera isn't quite as bad as Karel."

The door opened promptly open, displaying a happy brunette and ending any further conversation along that line. "Hello, you two, and welcome! Sorry it took so long, I had to get something out of the oven."

"It's no problem," Nanoha told her, entering and removing her shoes.

Vivio sniffed, and immediately began to salivate. "What smells so goooood?"

Amy chuckled. "It's an apple pie. It's cooling now, but in an hour or two you can have a piece."

The young girl cheered, while Nanoha looked around and asked, "So, where are your kids?"

As if on cue, a young boy with short reddish-brown appeared at the top of the staircase. Vivio's eyes widened in shock, as he was wearing a bug-mask from one of those anime shows and waving a small plastic sword, while the red cape fluttering behind him completed the superhero ensemble.

"Evildoer, how dare you trespass here!" he declared, pointing the sword at the guests.

"There's one of them," Amy noted, bemused.

Vivio groaned and slapped her face into her palm.

Karel continued his exposition, taking various stances. "Those that go against the forces of good, and kidnap innocent damsels for their villainous schemes, shall face the wrath of... JUSTICE RIDER!"

To the surprise of the two visitors, he leapt off the top of the stair case, landing on the railing and sliding down it like a surfer with socked feet. Halfway down, though, he lost his balance and fell, tumbling down the rest of the stairs to land face first in front of the pair.

Vivio sweat-dropped as she raised her face from her hand, noting her mama looked just as surprised as she was, although Karel's mama just stood there, smiling.

The young hero was quickly back on his feet, however, showing no signs of distress as he pointed his sword at Nanoha. "Surrender your prisoner, or face the wrath of JUSTICE RIDER!"

"Um, I surrender?" her mama offered, still seeming a bit confused.

He sheathed his sword in his belt. "Haha! You are smart for an evildoer. Come, maiden, I shall rescue you!"

"Karel, did you get her yet?" a female voice asked from the top of the stairs, the owner wearing a sailor fuku with a plastic gold tiara on her short, brown hair. "The castle is ready!"

"It's a fortress, not a castle!" Karel corrected her, lifting his mask for a moment, revealing an annoyed and freckled face. He sighed and pulled the mask down again, grabbing Vivio's hand. "Come, let's be off! Up, up, and away!"

"Mamaaaaa~!" Vivio whined as she was dragged upstairs. To her dismay, Nanoha merely waved and told her to have fun.

Vivio whimpered.

x~~*~~x

"Are you sure he's alright?" Nanoha asked, still a bit worried, surprised that Amy didn't seem to be.

"He's taken worse," the other woman replied simply. "He always gets up, though. He told me once that his favorite superheroes would never let little things like that slow them down, and since he wants to be one when he grows up, he just shrugs them off."

Nanoha considered that, but didn't fully grasp it. "I see."

"Well, have a seat, and I'll bring you some tea," Amy told her, smiling and gesturing towards one of the nicer-looking chairs, then left the room, coming back after a minute with a tea set. "Some of these Japanese things, like their tea, I really like. But I do prefer comfy couches and chairs to sit on, rather than kneeling all the time."

Nanoha smiled as she made herself comfortable in a chair. "You enjoying life in Uminari, then? Sometimes I wonder about coming back to live here, but then I wouldn't be as free to use magic."

"It's surprisingly peaceful, but I suppose that's why we moved here," Amy replied, handing a cup to her guest. "Lindy likes it here, and Chrono wanted me and the kids far away from any danger; he's a bit overprotective, but I humor him. And it does give me the chance to visit with your family often. Your mother, in particular, comes by to visit with me and Lindy quite regularly."

Nanoha smiled as she took a sip, remembering how well her mother had gotten along with Lindy, especially after the truth about her daughter's magical activities had been revealed. Nanoha assumed that her mother felt some sort of gratitude to Lindy, for taking good care of her.

Amy sat down opposite of Nanoha and took a sip of her own tea. "So, are you going to tell me what this is all about now? Or do I have to guess? I have to admit, I'm dying to know why you wanted to setup a chat with just me and you. Normally, it's us plus Chrono, Fate, or Lindy, and/or occasionally Yuuno."

The guest nearly coughed into her tea, but recovered and returned the cup to her lap, holding it with both hands to absorb the warmth. "Well, something... came up, and I was hoping for some advice, I suppose. To see how you handled things."

Amy raised an eyebrow, setting her cup down on the small plate and leaning forward. "Oh? Such as? You've really got my interest now."

Nanoha squirmed under the gaze of her host, figuring she might have to explain a bit. "Well, it's kinda like this...."

x~~*~~x

Nanoha slowly opened her eyes as she lay on her side, the sunlight peeking through the blinds of her bedroom and gently illuminating the contents within. Her vision was a bit blurry, but after rubbing her eyes, she saw very clearly the the side of Yuuno's face so close in front of her. Then a form shifted behind her, which she she knew instinctively to be Fate.

Even after several months, it was still a new experience having all three of them in the same bed, but it didn't happen all the time. A lot of times, Yuuno would be staying over at the library to research something, or Fate would be out on assignment, but on nights like this, they would take turns as to who would be in the middle, with last night being her turn.

She smiled slowly at her memories of that first night; she had been apprehensive at first, but the night was cold and somehow she just couldn't let him sleep in his own room alone, not when her and Fate shared a bed for warmth and comfort. Yuuno had been a perfect gentlemen all along by not wanting to rush things as she pulled him over to their room, but they had agreed to keep things to just sleeping.

The reposing figure so very close to her, shifted onto his side to face her, his hand coming down on her breast, which caused her to immediately freeze in surprise. Slowly, she forced herself to relax, as he was asleep and thus she had to expect that things like this would happen from time to time. After all, this whole arrangement had been her idea. Still, she was tempted to get up, but wondered how to do that since she was trapped from both sides, and didn't want to wake Fate or Yuuno.

Then, deciding she had to learn to get used to this, Nanoha just lay there and tried to still her beating heart, examining her feelings of him touching her like that. Thinking, she shifted a bit to get closer to him, to tenderly kiss his sleeping lips, but stopped as she felt Yuuno's toe in her thigh.

She blinked, reaching down, as something seemed a bit off; his toe seemed rather far up, and why was he wearing socks in bed?

She froze as her hand found it.

That wasn't his toe.

x~~*~~x

Amy broke out laughing, causing an embarrassed Nanoha to pause.

"Reminds me of Chrono most mornings," she shared with her guest, rubbing the tears out of her eyes. "But surely that shouldn't surprise you, since you're sleeping together now. You've seen him naked before, right?"

"We actually haven't... done anything," Nanoha admitted, fidgeting a bit.

"Really?" the other woman questioned in disbelief. "I'm honestly surprised. Why not? Is there some physical problem?"

"Nothing like that!" Nanoha declared defensively. "At least, I don't think there would be. It's just that, Yuuno has been a perfect gentlemen, taking things slow so we don't rush into something we might regret, and I admit it's made things easier for us, too. But there were a couple of months where he was sleeping in his own room in the house, and somehow it didn't feel right, since Fate and I have been sharing a bed."

"So at least you and Fate have..." she trailed off.

Nanoha's cheeks reddened a bit. "Only a little, just for experimentation, when we were teasing and playing around. It's mostly just nice to hold someone at night and have the added warmth, and I guess we both felt Yuuno deserved that, too. He was hesitant, but came around when we all agreed it was just sleeping; and it's been pretty good these past couple of months."

"But you're thinking about more, now," Amy deduced, being rewarded with a small nod. "And so you want advice from a more experienced woman, who isn't your mother."

"And I've also been wondering, what it's like to have a child," Nanoha admitted quietly. "I love Vivio, but I see you with Karel and Liera, and I wonder what it might be like to have one naturally, which would be a possibility. To give Vivio a sister or a brother, too, although not quite yet; just one step at a time."

Amy leaned back. "Well, Chrono and I might not be the best example, as our relationship has been rather... interesting; and having kids wasn't exactly planned for." She paused and smiled, amused. "I thought I was on the pill at the time, so didn't think it was a possibility. But when I found out, I was strangely happy; I was having Chrono's child. Or children, rather, as I found out later."

"How long did you know him, and have feelings for him, before you two, um, made love?" Nanoha inquired, curious, finally getting around to her main concerns. She had spilled some intimate beans, so she hoped Amy would reciprocate.

The other woman laughed. "I actually met him for the first time, not too long before I met you. I only knew Lindy's son was going to be joining us on the ship, and so I just knew him as that. He was cute, but so serious that I couldn't help but tease him, trying to loosen him up. We had a few minor missions, and then the Jewel Seed and Book of Darkness incidents, and through it all, I think I may have succeeded a tiny bit. We fell into an easy routine of teasing and squabbles that didn't change much over the next couple of years, but one particular day I discovered I was actually starting to like him, much to my surprise..."

x~~*~~x

"Amy, are you almost ready?" Chrono called from the living room area of her quarters on the ship, impatient.

"Almost, just having a bit of trouble with my hair," Amy shouted back from the bathroom, sighing at the increased difficulty of dealing with a longer hairstyle.

There was always that spot near the top and back of her head where a few hairs that just wouldn't cooperate, no matter how hard she tried. She briefly wondered if she should continue growing her hair past her shoulders, or return to the short style she had before, as it was easier to deal with, even if she liked the idea of longer hair. She stared into the mirror and exhaled in frustration, then raised the brush to try once more.

Only to find it taken out of her grasp. "Here, let me do it, or you'll be in here forever."

She blinked, not even noticing him enter, then watched him in the mirror as he addressed her hair. It was something he did fairly often for her, that it had almost become routine, even though on the face of it, a younger guy brushing a girl's hair might seem a bit weird. She recalled the first time he had done this in a similar manner and situation, and it had been a bit shocking to her then as well. Back then, she found it kinda cute and amusing that a gruff 14-year-old was combing her hair just to hurry things up and get her ready, and also the way he would wake her up so she wouldn't oversleep, almost as if he was taking care of her.

But this day was a bit different; she was feeling a funny, but somewhat-pleasurable tingle in her scalp as she watched the now-16-year-old Chrono in the mirror comb the brush carefully through her longer chestnut mane.

[Why?] she wondered, exploring the feeling a bit further, studying his face, which was full of annoyed concentration as he worked on her hair. Was she feeling more than the familiarity of teasing friendship?

He was getting more handsome by the day, Amy realized, and still in the midst of a growth spurt that had already made him a bit taller than her even though she was older than him by two years. The young boy of 14 that she had met two years ago was turning into an attractive man, one that was currently and carefully attending to her.

"I'm don't know why you've been growing your hair out, but I think the shorter style you had before suits you better," he remarked, causing her heart to jump a bit.

[Is it possible?] she thought to herself, feeling a bit warm inside. [Did he just compliment me?] Other questions formed in her mind, but these were more vague thoughts that she didn't vocalize even in her mind, such as: Had he even begun to notice her, the way she was noticing him now? Did he actually like her that way? Was that why he did things like this?

"Longer hair is annoying and more time-consuming to deal with," he continued with the same tone of voice. "With shorter hair to deal with, you wouldn't take up so much time getting ready. But I think I got it." He set the brush down. "Let's go, Admiral Lindy is expecting us at the meeting."

[Probably not,] she thought darkly, then found her hand grabbed and pulled toward the door, Chrono grabbing her coat off the hook and tossing it to her. [Then again, it's almost like we're married already...]

x~~*~~x

"Did you know how he felt?" Nanoha inquired.

"Not really," Amy replied, shaking her head. "Though later he admitted to me that he wasn't really the type to develop feelings for anyone. Somewhere along the line, he just grew used to having me around and it made him feel good, like a stable presence in his chaotic life. He might have allowed himself to get closer, but due to certain difficulties, he didn't feel he could allow himself that."

Nanoha raised an eyebrow. "Certain difficulties?"

"I'll get into that a bit later," Amy told her. "Back then, I didn't know all this. I just knew that he would be difficult and resisting, so if I wanted him, I knew I had to pursue him and make him want me. It wasn't easy; we had a handful of dates over the years, although he wouldn't call them that. We managed hand-holding and some hugging under protest, and I knew I was slowly wearing him down.

She paused to chuckle. "You should have seen him when I finally worked up the nerve to kiss him on the cheek! I'm not sure he liked me that way, yet, but I could tell he didn't mind it as much as he protested.

Amy closed her eyes, and Nanoha could see her visualizing her past. "It actually wasn't until a couple years later, on my 21st birthday, that my efforts finally began to pay off, and I realized that I had started to crack his exterior...."

x~~*~~x

Amy fingered the silver bracelet on her wrist, realizing that though it wasn't exactly the birthday present she was hoping for from him, it would do for now, although she wanted something else. She glanced up at the stars from her darkened bedroom window on Mid-Childa, and made a wish for it. She was the only one who lived in her apartment, as her parents had died when she was younger, but she didn't let that thought faze her; she was a tough girl.

The door to her bedroom swished open, spilling light into the room from the hallway. "We've almost finished cleaning up. Mom is recycling the last of the garbage bags and we noted you had disappeared. Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she lied, her heart beating a bit faster at the sound of his voice.

"Alright, well, we're about to call it a night and head out, so I just wanted to check that you were okay," he told her, beginning to step back.

"Wait a moment," she told him on sudden impulse. "Come here, I want to show you something."

She heard his footsteps grow louder, as the door closed and the room returned to darkness. "What is it?"

"Look out there, all those stars," she nearly whispered.

"The universe is a big place," he agreed. "And the Bureau only manages a small fraction of it, when you consider that."

She swatted his upper arm. "Leave it to you, to say something so unromantic."

He blinked. "I don't understand."

She sighed. "No, I suppose you don't. Stars are supposed to be for wishes. You look at one, and think about what you really want, and the brighter it is, the more likely you are to get it. I just made a wish on one of those stars."

"What did you wish for?" he asked, and she felt her heart skip a beat.

She turned to him, fixing him with what she hoped was a sultry look in the darkness, although she wondered how well he could see it. "In particular, a birthday girl gets her wish granted if she makes one."

He swallowed, and she felt a surge of adrenaline at the way he almost seemed intimidated; was it working?

"So, uh, you wanted a new dress or stuffed animal?" he inquired.

[It's now or never,] she told herself, wondering where her sudden courage and impishness was coming from. "No. What I wished for, what I wanted, was for you to kiss me."

The darkness probably made it easier, she told herself. She could make out his outline, and some of his facial features through the soft line of the twin moons and stars, but it was difficult to read what he was thinking, and he just stood there and didn't respond.

"Aha, something that scares the mighty Enforcer Chrono, hmm?" she teased. "Afraid of a little ole girl? I should have figured you wouldn't have the guts!"

He continued to be silent for a long time, and Amy was tempted to scream at him to respond with something, anything, then he spoke softly, "Are you sure?"

"A birthday girl gets what she wants," she told him, growing impatient. She half-figured he would apologize and make up some excuse to leave, then he stepped towards her and leaned over, and she felt his lips on hers.

Her skin felt cold and hot at the same time, a warm tingle passing over her body that made her shiver, as a part of her mind screamed, "YES!"

x~~*~~x

"We began unofficially dating after that," she said with a small smile, that seemed somehow a bit sad. "He wouldn't actually admit to having feelings for me, or do much of anything in public. Partially, it felt like he was tolerating me, and that hurt a bit. But then he'd do something, or say something, that let me know there were deeper feelings there, such getting me a stuffed animal that I had been looking at days earlier. I wanted to ask how he really felt, but somehow couldn't find the nerve after that night, and somehow felt that if I pressed him, he'd run."

"So what changed?" Nanoha inquired, leaning forward a bit more, curious.

The sad smile was still there. "Sometimes, I don't like to remember."

x~~*~~x

A little over a year later, the two of them were on vacation, since it was one of the few times she could get him to act like a boyfriend once they were away from other people they knew. Things were progressing slowly, but she was mostly content to let them go at that pace, as she didn't want to push things and end up forcing Chrono away. Still, he was skittish, and Amy was at a loss as to what to do.

Then she came up with a brilliant idea: a camping trip, just the two of them. Chrono would insist on separate tents, she knew. But she could arrange to have hers ruined somehow....

Thus, they eventually found themselves on an unadministered tropical planet on the edge of Bureau patrolled space. She had seen a brochure advertising this location, and learned about backpacking through exotic locations; the scenery was supposed to be gorgeous, and best of all, romantic.

"So, is this the place?" Chrono asked, unsure as he adjusted his pack.

Amy stepped off the bus after him, onto the dirt street, checking her map and brochure. "Yes, the town of LaFreza. We should be able to pick up some supplies from the locals, and then begin our trek up to the Honto lake and ruins tomorrow morning for our first camp site; they are supposed to be beautiful."

She folded up the map and looked around, adjusting her own backpack, glad for her jean shorts and short-sleeved shirt against the warm weather. A variety of shacks and small buildings, if they could be generously called that, were spread around a few dirt roads, and very little in the way of technology was present, except for some rusty cars and a couple of old communication pay terminals. Still, the colorful pennants and banners stretching overhead, and the festive music, made the atmosphere appear lively and welcoming. The brochure had mentioned that they'd be in the midst of their annual Harvest Festival, which was why she picked this town.

"Over there, looks like something of an inn and restaurant," Chrono noted, pointing to one of the nicer-looking and larger buildings. "We've been traveling most of the day, and I'm kinda hungry."

His stomach rumbled to punctuate the point, and Amy giggled, but her own answered him. She sighed, decided a meal would be nice.

"Food it is," she agreed, taking his arm as they walked over. She had him properly conditioned now, and so he didn't freeze up or protest, even kept his pace a bit slower to keep them together.

The restaurant was on the first floor, although it was partly a bar, too. The second floor had a number of guest rooms, although there was only one available. Amy wondered if her plans would be pushed up with only one bed, but Chrono said he'd sleep on the floor in his sleeping bag. She inwardly sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to talk him out of it.

Thankfully, the food wasn't bad, either, once they dug in after setting their packs down beside them on the floor. She wasn't exactly sure what animal the meat was from, but she recognized a few of the fruits and vegetables; flora and fauna didn't seem to variate that much from the worlds humans occupied, she had realized over the years. But sadly, they never got to dessert.

There was the sound of some commotion outside, as if a number of vehicles arriving, which caused a number of other people in the restaurant to stop eating and start looking very fearful. Before Amy could wonder why, a number of males with tanned skin poured into the building, wearing mostly cut-off trousers and shorts, and about half of them wearing no top at all; the outfits being the local style due to the warm weather.

They were also carrying various implements, which turned out to be to be guns, deadly kinetic weapons outlawed on TSAB-administered worlds.

Their leader fired a few shots into the ceiling as his men spread out. "Listen up and do what you're told, and you won't get hurt."

Amy felt Chrono tense up next to her, and she laid a hand on his thigh to steady him. She knew he wanted to fight, but there were quite a number of them; there was no guarantee that he could stop them all without someone getting hurt.

The leader walked over to the female owner, behind the bar counter. "You know what we want."

She was obviously frightened. "No, please! You can take our food, just leave me my daughters!"

"They're going to be honored guests," he soothed in a pleasant tone, that suggested anything but. "You Huulutions have refused to help us for a long time. You prospered while we fell on bad fortune. You were warned."

It was then that Amy noticed two of the men had just disappeared up the stairs, and now were returning, dragging a young pair of girls with them. They couldn't have been more than 16 years old or so. One was crying, while the other appeared to be putting up more of a fight, trying to twist out of her captor's grasp.

"No, PLEASE!" the woman behind the countered shouted, beginning to run over to the two men holding her daughters, but she didn't get far, receiving a blow to her gut with the butt-end of the leader's rifle.

"We can't do anything now," Amy whispered to Chrono. "Let's wait until they leave, then we can try to rescue them."

She saw him nod out of the corner of his vision, apparently having come to the same conclusion.

"Hey boss, there's another fine looker here," came a male voice from behind them, and Amy promptly felt a hand on her chin, turning her face away from Chrono and towards the scruffy individual that addressed her.

The leader turned towards them, a smile appearing on his face as he strode over to them. "Well now, what do we have here? She is quite a looker. We'll take her, too."

Before Amy could even protest, she felt Chrono respond. With incredible speed, he sprang from his chair and knocked the first guy away, holding her chin. The leader, and several of his men, began reacting, pointing their weapons at him. S2U was in his hands now, though, and a blue barrier went up around them, as he simultaneously fired a short that knocked the leader off his feet and sent him flying against a wall.

Bullets pinged off the barrier, as Amy knocked the table over and dropped to the ground; she needed to make herself less of a target so Chrono could fight more effectively. Another body landed nearly beside her, just outside the barrier, before a loud voice rang out.

"STOP!" came the leader's voice, now on his feet. "Or they die!"

Amy peeked over the tabled, noting Chrono holding a glowing white ball at the end of his device. Across the room, several other patrons had been grabbed, guns to their heads, as well as the two daughters.

"We got ourselves a mage here," the leader remarked casually. "And you seem very good. You might be able to stop us all, and perhaps rescue two, maybe three of the hostages. But some are going to die. You wanna risk that, boy?"

There was no way out of this, Amy realized, and the sad thing was, she thought Chrono might actually fight anyway, to prevent her from being taken. She couldn't let that happen.

She stood up. "If you let the others go, then I'll go with you, willingly."

"Amy, no!" Chrono barked at her, shaking her a bit with the pleading urgency in his voice.

"Well, well, that's a tempting offer, but why don't take all of the hosages, including you?" the boss of the ruffians countered.

She indicated Chrono. "Because he'll take you all out, regardless of hostages or deaths. I don't think either of us wants that. I'm the only one that can control him and keep that from happening."

He saw her point. "I'll release the others, and you can take the place of one of the girls; that's my final offer."

Only two hostages, with one of them being herself; it was the best she felt she could do, so she nodded. "Agreed."

"Tell him to disarm, and cancel the barrier," the leader ordered.

"Amy, don't do this!" Chrono begged, and she was struck by the fear and hurt that had crept into his tone, and in his eyes.

"Please, Chrono," she told him softly in return. "I trust you. Please trust me, too. We can't have deaths here, because of us. You know that."

He held her gaze for several tense moments, then powered down his attack as the barrier faded from around her. Almost immediately, she felt her hands being grabbed from behind, tied roughly with something behind her back.

Chrono seethed in her direction, but one of the ruffians whacked him across the back of the head with the butt-end of his rifle, dropping him to the ground. He didn't move.

"Chrono!" she shouted, then shot the leader a dirty look. "If you do anything to him, the deal is off. You don't know what I can do, yet." She hoped her bluff would work, because although she knew she didn't have magic, her captors didn't know that.

"Relax, he's just out of the way long enough for us to make our escape," the leader rebuffed. "He just might have a bit of a headache when he comes to, but we'll be long gone."

The daughter that had been putting up more of a fight was released and roughly shoved backed, while the crying one with longer hair had her hands tied just like Amy was. The rest of the patrons were released; apparently, the leader was being true to his word.

But Amy was deeply afraid she had made the wrong call, as she was forced outside, her last sights of Chrono laying face down on the wooden floor.

x~~*~~x

Her and the teary-eyed daughter were forced into the back of a truck, sitting down along the edge as the leader and a few other men piled in. Other vehicles around them on the dusty street had been loaded with various other foodstuffs, and they all took off after a few minutes.

Amy turned to the girl as they rode through the jungle on a bumpy dirt road, and attempted to smile. "I'm Amy Limiette. I know things seem bad right now, but they'll be okay."

The girl looked at her, her eyes having turned a bit red. "I-I'm Glia of the Juarn family."

"We'll get out of this, I promise," Amy told her with as much confidence as she could muster."

The young girl looked at her, a bit of hope in her eyes. But internally, Amy wondered how exactly she could pull that off, and the leader's next words echoed that.

"Good question," the leader noted, somewhat amused. "You shouldn't make promises you can't keep. You probably don't fully understand your position."

"I know that you raided and stole food from those villagers, and took us along as hostages," Amy declared evenly.

"We're not bad people," he told her, and she got a strange sense he was trying to be genuinely honest. "There are numerous villages through this jungle continent. Ours just had the bad fortune of our crops being lost in a recent flood. We went to others for help, but they turned us down, because we are different from them."

"You all look the same to me," Amy noted, eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

He let out a laugh. "That village was Huulution; we are Nesscents. They've seen us as trash for a long time, but they are the real trash. What village turns it's back on another when they need help?"

"I can't say, as I don't know all the details," Amy offered honestly, then decided to take a chance. "I know some people, and if you let me contact them, they could help you; they can bring in food and help repair your crops."

He looked at her, studying her face, and for a moment, Amy thought he might go for it.

Then he shook his head. "No, we don't trust outsiders. They've always taken from us, and tried to use us. You should know your place; we've lost many people since our storehouse of food has slowly dried up; we're in danger of dying out. If you cooperate fully, you will be well taken care of, but we need fresh new blood to invigorate our clan."

And there it was, what Amy deeply feared inside but didn't want to admit. They were being taken to mate with the male clan members and produce children; that's why the daughters were initially grabbed. Those two were probably unmarried still, but just into child-bearing age and therefore ripe for the taking.

It was then that she noticed allowed herself to notice something in the gazes of the men which she had been ignoring thus far. They'd occasionally glance her way, looking over her body, probably wondering which one of them would get her or Glia for a wife.

It was at that moment, that she began having the first doubts about her decision; she came on this trip to snag a husband, and to her horror, it looked like she was about to get one in a way she didn't quite expect, nor want.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

Not enough Chrono/Amy stuff out there, especially ones that explore their intriguing backstory. It's actually one of the few confirmed pairings in the series, so you'd think people would write about it more. I guess subtext is better for shipping wars and fan interest, and once you do actually pair them up, interest drops tremendously, heh. I think I understand why creators go to great pains to avoid pairing characters up now...

I'm sure most know, but for those who don't, Amy does indeed have two kids, but all we really know is their approximate names, ages, and that they are twins. Depending on how you read the Japanese, their names could be Kalel or Karel, due to how the Japanese mix R's and L's. Perhaps even a more westernization of the name could be Carl. I went with Karel and Liera just because I like that variation the best.

On an unrelated note, I've been looking into the possibility of self-publishing the 26 chapters of MGLN Crisis into an actual book. I'm not sure how much interest there would be, but if I do it, I might do the same to Red Jewel Diaries and eventually, the next two continuations I do as well. Mainly because I've never self-published before, and thought it might be an interesting experience.


	9. Life Part 2

**Red Jewel Diaries**

**Chapter 9: Life (Part 2)**

Xx~~*~~xX

Amy: _"Sometimes I wonder if I've totally gone crazy. I mean, here I was, sitting in the back of a truck, a prisoner of some guys on a random planet that wanted me for a wife, and I'm only in this predicament because I insisted on playing a hero, while I'm only even ON this planet because I'm trying to get my would-be boyfriend to show some affection for me and get us just a tiny bit closer together. This would be the same boyfriend that's been skittish, gruff, and taciturn for most of his life, and would rather fire off a Stinger Shot than get comfortable with a girl who is obviously into him. Is he, and all this aggravation I endure, really worth it? ..........Hell yes!"_

x~~*~~x

Nanoha set her cup down on the small plate, her hands shaking a bit. "I can't imagine what you must have been feeling."

"You don't know the half of it," Amy replied softly, her eyes still closed, her head resting on the back of the couch. "It definitely wasn't pleasant. Chrono told me later he was practically sick with worry, and he felt like he'd never see me again."

"When Vivio was taken from me, I felt like my entire world would collapse," Nanoha agreed. "I kept myself together only with the thought that I'd do anything to get her back; nothing would stand in my way."

Amy opened her eyes and lifted her head to gaze understandably at her guest. "That's very similar to what Chrono said."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I interrupted your story," Nanoha realized suddenly.

"It's okay," Amy replied, waving it off, leaning her head back again. "Where was I? Oh yeah, we were being carted off in those trucks..."

x~~*~~x

They traveled for most of the evening, but eventually stopped to make camp when night fell. As the tents went up in a circle around several campfires, Amy estimated there must be at least 30 men in the group, though she knew Chrono could still handle that many if the two hostages weren't directly threatened; but would he be able to find them soon enough?

Her and Glia were placed in the same tent, giving Amy her clue about what was to happen, but she probably should have realized they weren't going to waste much time. She actually found herself feeling worse for the other poor girl, since Amy had been given some training and mental preparation for this possibility, so she'd be able to endure, despite the disgust she'd feel. But Glia was a younger village girl with no training; she'd be broken by it. Already she was just sitting in the corner, having succumbed to despair.

Amy tried to think, looking around her for something to use. The tend was fairly wide, probably enough room for six or seven people to lay down comfortably, and there were already a few mats and sleeping bags spread out in it, but nothing useful immediately jumped out at her. Her wrists were still bound behind her back and her ankles had been tied shortly after being dumped in here, so while she could probably get to her feet, running wasn't an option.

Still, she continued working her wrists, increasing her breathing. While the thing rope was fairly tight, there were a few tricks one could use to get out of physical wrist binds; she just needed time to work up a little sweat, stretch the rope-like material a little bit, and she might be able to slip out of it. She had been told she had delicate wrists on a few occasions; now was the time to prove it.

But there didn't seem to be quite enough time, as someone approached the tent, forcing her to go still to hide her activity, just before he unzipped the door and stepped inside, zipping it back up after.

His gaze traveled over the two women lustily. "Well, ladies, it's your lucky day! I'm going to be the new husband of one of you. Whichever one I decide on, I promise I'll take real good care of you. I know you don't like me, and you'll probably never really love me, but let's just make the best of a bad situation."

"A bad situation?" Amy remarked, incredulous. "With my luck, you're the type of man who just plans to stick it in without any buildup. Just once I'd like someone who was good enough in bed to pleasure me properly."

"Hey, I'm very good!" he protested, jerking a thumb at his chest. "Stick with me, and you'll have the best time of your life, every single night!"

She rolled her eyes. "If only that were the case. You probably haven't even been with a real woman yet. So much for hoping for someone with actual experience."

Even though she was faking much of bravado, she could still feel her heart beating a million times a minute in her chest. This could go badly if she didn't handle it right, but even if she did fail, she'd rather she be first rather than the poor girl in the other corner; at least Amy could spare her for a little longer.

The amorous husband-to-be picked Amy up and laid her on one of the mats, although it was a bit uncomfortable with her hands still bound underneath her, and she told him that.

"We'll just leave them like that for now," he told her, grinning as he leaned down to kiss her.

x~~*~~x

"You don't have to tell me this, if you don't want," Nanoha interrupted, apologetic. "I didn't realize what memories I'd be dragging up for you..."

Amy opened her eyes and smiled. "While the records were sealed afterward, I've already talked to a counselor, Chrono, and Lindy about it, so it's alright. It was a long time ago, and I won't let the past chain me down." Her smiled turned a bit more devious. "And things didn't quite go as you might think."

x~~*~~x

She fought against the revulsion as he kissed her, separating her mind from her body to analyze the situation. The position did have one advantage: it made the area under her body, where her hands were trapped, that much warmer. She was beginning to sweat more, and she could almost feel a bit of slippage between the wrist binds.

She panted as he released her lips, gasping for the breath she had been holding, quickly thinking that she needed to change tactics. "That... wasn't too bad."

"Oh, I'm very good with my tongue, in particular," he told her, boasting.

She stared at him in awe. "Is that so? Well, if we're going to do this, could you, um, undo my legs and show me? If you're any better than my past boyfriends, then maybe it won't be so bad."

His smile widened as he produced a small knife to cut her ankle binds, and after setting it aside, he helped separate her legs while he kissed up her right leg and thigh, starting to unzip her shorts as he reached the bottom cuff. Amy held down the disgust, waiting for the right moment.

As his lips trailed over her her jeans and he switched his grip to begin to pull them down, she quickly surged her lower half up to trap his neck between her thighs, swinging her legs down to the left to trap him in a powerful thigh scissor hold, squeezing as tightly as she could. She shifted a bit to bring as much pressure to bear on his throat as she could, cutting off most of his air supply, thanking the Bureau for those self-defense classes.

He flailed as he tried to shout, which only came out as hoarse groans, while also attempting to pry her thighs off with his hands, but legs held more muscle than arms and thus he was unable to do so. Then he smartened up a bit, putting his hands on the floor and trying to push up, but the problem was she wasn't exactly light, so he was to work with a large weight attached to his neck.

Her right hand finally slipped free, and she brought it around to slam it into his face, dazing him and sending him back down again. He began flailing his own hands at her body, striking her legs and tightened stomach, but despite the pain, she held fast; she was in fairly good shape, and if she surrendered to the pain and gave up her advantage now, she could easily lose the contest.

Eventually his struggles slowed; while he could get some air, it wasn't quite enough to maintain his level of activity. She reached down to clench his nose shut and slap her other hand over his mouth, cutting off the last of his ability to breathe, and thereafter it didn't take long for him to pass out.

She waited a bit longer just to be sure he was really unconscious, panting heavily herself, then got to work, as he might not be out long and she had to work fast. She used the knife to cut up the blankets and sleeping bag material, then rolled him onto his stomach and tying his wrists and ankles together behind his back, then fashioned a nice gag as well.

"And by the way, you kiss terrible," she informed the unconscious male, spitting.

Glila was staring at her with wide eyes when Amy finally turned to her and approached with the knife to cut her loose; it was as if the young girl had just seen a turtle smack down a lion. "I thought you were going to... I've never seen anything like that..."

Amy smiled grimly. "You never know what you can do until you try. Never give up, and never panic or give in to fear."

Glia nodded, still wide-eyed, as Amy paused, adrenaline still shooting through her system, although she knew it wouldn't last too much longer and she needed to get both of them out of here. She slid the knife into the rear tent wall and sliced downward, making a hole, then grabbed Glia and the two made their escape through it.

And apparently just in time, too, as not long after they had entered the forest, there were some shouts in camp; the male she had tied up had probably just been found.

"They went that way!" came a yell, as the pair snapped twigs and moved roughly against branches.

The moon shone brightly overhead, which gave them just enough light to see, but it would make them easy to follow as well, and Amy wasn't sure how much farther she could make it on adrenaline and half a meal. If they were caught, there would be no escaping a second time.

"Do you know the way back to your village?" Amy asked the girl, hearing a quiet roar in the distance and beginning to head towards it.

"I-I'm not sure, I think so," she replied, and Amy was relieved the girl was sounding stronger now. Perhaps she was working on adrenaline, too.

"We're going to have to split up," Amy informed her. "I'll get their attention and lead them away, while you do your best to get back to your village, or at least find a place to hide out for awhile. Once I meet up with my friend, Chrono, we'll come find you. If you see him first, tell him where I am. He's kinda tall, gruff, with black hair, and whiter skin like mine."

"O-okay," came the response. "I think I remember him from our hostel."

Amy found what she was looking for, as the pair broke out of he jungle and found a river. "You go straight across and hide on the other side. GO!"

She obeyed Amy's commanding voice, running as fast as she could through the thigh-deep water while Amy took a few moments to catch her breath, hearing the group getting closer behind her, then she started off across the river as well, but working her way upstream. She was gratified that Glia made it across and disappeared into the foliage just in time, as lights were shone in Amy's direction the second she reached the shore.

[Good, they saw me,] she realized, as she entered the jungle again.

They'd assume the other girl was with her, and thus Glia would escape, but her own adrenaline-assisted escape was going to taper off soon, she knew, and she could already sense them catching up; more and more, she was regretting putting herself in this position.

[What I wouldn't give for a good Chrono-delivered castigation right about now,] she thought amusingly to herself.

[What the hell did you think you were doing?] the Chrono figure in her mind berated. [You try to play the hero, and look what happens? Why couldn't you have just let me save you earlier? Then you wouldn't be in this mess!]

"Oh shut up," she mumbled to herself, feeling the sting of cuts developing on her arms and legs, as well as the patter of raindrops beginning to fall through the trees.

Bleeding too much wasn't good now, as it would also help to slow her down, but it turned out that those weren't her biggest concern. In the shadow of a tree, she put her foot down and the ground gave way, sending her plummeting down a muddy slope to the darkness below.

x~~*~~x

She didn't know how long she was out, but given the way that the sky was slowly lightening up, it looked like she had slept all night. Her whole body ached and she immediately felt cold from her very damp clothes, but that annoyance ranked about equal with the pounding in her head. She dragged herself to a sitting position and touched the back of her skull, seething in response. She thought she remembered striking her head on something before passing out, but the wound back there confirmed it.

The only bright spot was that it appeared that her fall had somehow managed to make her lose her pursuers, or maybe they gave up. She found an odd sort of humor in that; even men only go so far for a woman, apparently, which made her think of Chrono again as she lurched to her feet.

Amy knew she had to find some kind of civilization soon, as without supplies, she wouldn't last longer than a few days. She could probably find another river for water, but food might be an issue, although the bigger problem was her injuries; she didn't know how bad they were, and wouldn't until she could get checked out. Still, she managed to keep walking, thankful for small favors as the sun slowly warmed things up so she didn't feel as cold. She still shivered, and her rumbling stomach informed her of the reason for her slowly failing strength.

She wasn't aware of how much time had passed, but she knew she wasn't well. Her vision was getting a bit hazy, and small spurts of vertigo threatened to send her to the ground, but she had to keep going.

[Sorry, Chrono, looks like I really messed this vacation up,] she despaired to herself, while smiling to herself in her delirium, imagining Chrono desperately searching for her.

[Amy?] came the voice of his figment in her mind. [Amy? Where are you?]

[I'm over here,] she called back mentally, chuckling to herself. [Although you don't really know that, do you? Still, it would be nice to hear your berating voice once again, telling me how stupid I am, telling me that I'm going to be late to a meeting again.]

"[Amy!] came his voice again, and she was partially confused at how strong it seemed. "[Hold on, I'm almost there!]"

She lurched into a meadow, feeling her vision blurring even more. "[Chrono?]"

"AMY!" Chrono yelled, and she seemingly bumped into something, that also grabbed her tightly. She looked up blearily, and said one thing before she passed out again: "I think you've gotten taller again..."

x~~*~~x

She awoke again, sad about the dream ending, the one where Chrono rescued her, but at least it seemed her impromptu nap had made her feel a whole lot better. And the heat from the fire was rather nice on her bare arms, too.

She blinked. [Fire? Bare arms!]

Amy shot upright as the blanket tumbled off her chest, fearful the men had recaptured her and done something while she was unconscious, but she only only saw Chrono there, his right side to her as he sat on a small rock and poked at the fire with a stick. He turned to look at her, then quickly turned away, his cheeks reddening.

"Um, are you feeling better?" he asked tentatively. She blinked again, then shot out of the makeshift bed to grab him tightly with all the strength she had, her eyes leaking tears as she buried her face in his neck. "Chrono! You did come! I'm so sorry about what I did!"

He patted her nervously. "I-It's okay. But, um, if you're feeling better, um, you should eat something. And wrap a blanket around yourself or something." She drew back a bit, looking down to see she was only in her slightly moist bra and panties. In the corner of her eye, she noted her shirt and shorts were drying on a line on the other side of the fire.

"Eep!" she cried at once, leaping back to grab the blanket to wrap around her body, then promptly broke out laughing at the absurdity of it all. "Never thought you'd have the guts to undress me."

She became even more amused at how uncomfortable Chrono was starting to look, as he responded with a "Well, I didn't want you to catch a cold."

She grinned and found a rock to sit down on as he served her up a bowl of soup, listening to him talk about how he ran into Glia during his search and got her back to her mother and sister, then went out looking for her. He's also put in a call to the TSAB, and a ship would be by to pick them up in a day or two and deal with the local situation. When he found her, he spent the rest of the day healing her wounds.

After she was done eating, the two enjoyed the fire in silence for a long while, but she found herself growing sleepy again. It was then that she noticed that there was only one small tent, finding out that in his haste, he only grabbed his pack, but that he'd fly her back to the village tomorrow morning to grab hers. He wished her goodnight and, as she suspected, he was going to let her use his sleeping bag and tent while he slept outside. As she thought about sleeping alone, her recent experiences came back to her.

"No, please," she petitioned him. "There's a very good chance it will rain tonight. We're both adults, so we'll share the tent; it can fit two people comfortably. And... I don't want to sleep alone tonight, please?"

He obviously wanted to object, but found he couldn't overrule her logic or her pleading, and gave in. Once they were in, Chrono kissed her goodnight, but she refused to let his lips go, as the emotional dam she had been holding in, suddenly burst within her. Her worries and fears that had been bottled up for the past day or two came flowing forth, and she found she couldn't stop kissing him, telling him she was afraid she had really screwed up and she'd never see him again.

And he was kissing back as she slid over on top of him, heedless that she was still half-naked. It almost felt like he had been feeling the same, and thus he was into it with as much as passion as he could muster. His hands were caressing, and she had his shirt off, and was about to work on his boxer shorts, when he suddenly sat up.

"No!" he spat out suddenly, gently pushing her off him and turning to face away from her. "I-I'm sorry, I can't do this."

"Chrono?" she called softly, somewhat hurt, but also confused. "What do you mean? I thought you were into it as much as I was... why?"

"I... just can't, alright?" he replied gruffly. "Let's just get some sleep." She bit her lip, wondering how to phrase it. "Do you have...erectile difficulties? Because it's okay, we can work with that."

"No!" he nearly yelled, twisting his head to stare in partial anger, partial shock.

"Then what?" she nearly shouted back, placing a hand on his shoulder as he turned away from her again. "Tell me, please?"

"I..." he started to say, then paused, seemingly having great difficulty getting it out, but she reached out to stroke his back softly, telling him it was alright. "I... don't want to have kids. I won't risk leaving one without a father!"

And there it was, she realized, suddenly seeing the big picture as everything snapped into place. All his previous behavior over the years suddenly made sense; why he was so stern and gruff, and why he heavily resisted a romantic relationship with her. But he was obviously conflicted, because she sensed a part of him did want this; he wanted to be loved, and wanted to love her.

"It's alright, I'm on birth control, so I can't get pregnant now," she informed him softly. "We can talk about kids another time, but please, just be with me tonight?"

He slowly turned around to gaze at her, and she was surprised by the fear and conflict in his wavering eyes, but also the strong desire it was masking. Slowly, she leaned forward to kiss him again, and this time he bore her gently to the sleeping mat, and didn't attempt to stop her again.

x~~*~~x

Nanoha very audibly gulped her mouthful of tea, eyes wide and almost blushing more than Amy as the latter finished spelling out the steamy details. "You make it sound so... natural and easy."

Amy chuckled. "It was anything but. First times are normally not so good, and I have to admit I probably made it sound better than it was; as a typical guy, Chrono didn't much of a clue what to do. Still, because it was with him, it was good enough. The key is communication, both during the relationship, and during the act. I wish I had talked with him about it a long time ago about his hesitancy, and even when we made love, I wished we had communicated more. You have to know what you want, and tell him about it; don't expect him to read your mind and do what you want."

"I see," Nanoha said, contemplating, having been given a lot to think about. "So, that's how you and Chrono began dating? I do recall seeing you two together more often after that."

She nodded. "It became official, though as far as everyone else was concerned, we had just started. I think Lindy knew better, though she was just thrilled to have it out in the open. Still, we'd sneak away maybe once or twice a month to be with each other like that. I kept up birth control to make him feel more at ease, understanding his fears. I kinda wanted kids eventually, but what we had was mostly fine. Still, I did also want to get married, too, which was another fear of his; in his mind, kids followed a marriage."

"So what did you do?" Nanoha asked, raising her cup to take another sip, nothing that it was cooling; or maybe she had gotten warmer?

"Actually, it wasn't so much me, as someone else," Amy answered with a mysterious sigh. "Lindy had been hinting that she wanted grand-kids for awhile, and I suspect she knew we had been sleeping together. One day, when she asked me about my plans for marriage and kids, I admitted that I was still working on that and told her about Chrono's hesitation, but that I was also slowly making headway. Lindy understood, having also felt a lot from the loss of Clyde, and wished me luck."

Nanoha blinked. "That's it?"

Amy chuckled nervously. "Not quite, as it was almost two years after we first made love, in the year 0071..."

x~~*~~x

"Amy, we're going to be late, time to get up!" Chrono told her, prodding the sleeping body after getting dressed.

"Don't want to," she replied, curling up more. "Don't feel well."

He sighed, and leaned down to check her forehead. "You don't feel warm. Come on, get up and we'll get some food in you, and you'll feel better."

She sighed, knowing how insistent he could be, then found her body lifted out of bed, blanket and all. The sudden movement made her feel a bit dizzy and nauseous, but she was also a bit thrilled to have him do something like this. And then he ruined the romantic movement once again by promptly sliding her onto her feet, but she also realized that made him the Chrono she had fallen in love with.

"Okay, now you're up," he declared. "I'll go get breakfast started while you get dressed and wash up and... Amy?"

She slapped a over her mouth and rushed towards the bathroom to heave over the toilet, then coughed a few times. She heard Chrono sigh behind her.

"Alright, I'll call and tell them I came by your place, and you were too sick to go," he informed her, hearing her throw up again.

Amy just stared, getting another type of sickening feeling in her gut.

And several hours later, her home pregnancy test confirmed it. [Oh hell, Chrono is going to kill me.... but I was sure I was taking the right pills!]

She opened up her bathroom cabinet and opened up her pill timer that was currently half-empty, recalling that she hadn't missed a day since she started on them. Mid-Childa medical technology had guaranteed these to be 100% effective, so what happened? And how in the world would she tell Chrono?

x~~*~~x

"The pills failed?" Nanoha asked, nervous. "On Earth, the pills they use aren't 100%, so maybe Mid-Childa's version isn't, either?"

Amy shook her head. "We're just a teeny-weeny bit more advanced than Earth; they are 100% effective if you take them every day. No, I had the rest analyzed on a whim; my current batch was just sugar pills."

"Someone switched them?" Nanoha suggested, to which Amy nodded. "But who would..." She paused, getting an idea.

"Yes, you see it, too," Amy noted wryly. "And when I thought back over it, she had plenty of opportunity. She visited my apartment often enough, and used my bathroom during those visits; plenty of time for a switch."

Nanoha's eyes widened. "Lindy wouldn't... would she?"

Amy laughed, once. "Ha, you don't know the woman like I do. She's TSAB, through and through, and they want magical children to line their ranks, not that I blame them much as the Bureau has maintained a decent peace throughout the galaxy with mages and magical technology as their backbone. And I suspect this was Lindy's way of getting her son over his anxieties. I never did confront her about it, although I was tempted to at the time."

"And how did Chrono take the news?" Nanoha inquired. "I assume those were the twins and you kept them...?"

She nodded. "It was another... difficult situation..."

x~~*~~x

His eyes were wide, almost bulging out of his head. "YOU'RE WHAT! How could this happen!"

Amy pushed the tips of her index fingers together, her face lowered. "Well, when a man and a woman really love each other...."

Chrono's head hit the table. "I KNOW that much, but I thought you were taking those pills?"

"Yeah, um, apparently there was sort of mistake and I was taking placebo pills," Amy explained in a quiet, embarrassed voice from where she sat across from him, having finally worked up the nerve to tell him a couple weeks later.

Chrono sighed and sat down, holding his head in his hands, and she suddenly felt even more pathetic and stupid than she did before. For several moments, all she could do was sit there and watch him breath in and out, obviously contemplating.

"I'm... really sorry, Chrono," she offered at last, horrible thoughts going through her head about what she was going to have to do. "I know how you feel, so... I'll... get rid-"

"No," Chrono's one-word command cut her off. "I'll retire from the bureau and we'll move someplace quiet and peaceful."

Somehow, him saying that hurt her worse than anything else. "But... you love being an enforcer. You can't give it up!"

He got up from his chair and crossed over, gentle laying the side of her head against his stomach in a tender hug, surprising her with one of the rare moments when he initiated such actions. "Shh, it's okay, there was always a possibility this would happen, and it won't be so bad. I'll be a good father to our children, and a good husband to you."

Amy's breath caught in her throat as she parsed his words. "Chrono? You mean..."

The father of her child knelt down, taking her hands in his. "Amy Limiette, will you marry me?"

A thousand words and a million feelings exploded in her mind, but she found she couldn't vocalize any of them, although one in particular stood out; but why was it a negative one? This is what she had wanted to hear for so long, so why was she so hesitant, and why did it bring her more pain instead of joy?

She closed her eyes as the thought came. [I know why.] Her eyes opened again, and she spoke her answer: "No."

Clearly he was not expecting that. "Amy? But, why? I thought-"

"You thought incorrectly," she told him, taking her hands out of his and folding them across her chest. "If you really want to be a good husband to me, then you'll continue to be an enforcer, because that is what you love. That's the Chrono I fell in love with; I won't accept a pale substitute."

"I don't want to leave you and the kids with out a husband and a father!" he nearly cried out in anguish, upsetting her with his extreme sincerity, so much so that she was half-tempted to give in.

[But I can't, not with this, not now,] she realized, taking his face in her hands. "You are not your father. I know it scares you, and you don't want your family to go through the same thing, but you are Chrono Harlaown, not Clyde. I have faith in you, and you have to trust in us, that we will be alright. Look at yourself as well; despite what happened to your father, you and Lindy turned out okay. I'll retire to take care of our child, but if you want me to keep this baby, you're going to stay an enforcer!"

His eyes went down, and for several long moments, Amy feared she may have pushed things too far. She held hope that he was a strong man, and she desperately wanted to get him through this, but she was beginning to think that maybe she should have just accepted his declaration to quite the bureau, so as to not put him through this. That feeling was amplified, when she saw his downcast eyes leaking tears; she couldn't recall ever seeing him ever cry!

"You're right," he admitted at last in a quiet voice. "I know I've been trying too hard to avoid what happened in my family. Despite what she may say, I know my mother misses him very much, and so do I, even though I was very young when he died. That's why I became an enforcer, so that I could help prevent that from happening to anyone else; I never thought I'd put myself in this position.

He reached up to put a hand on her stomach, a move that Amy found incredibly intimate and touching for reasons she couldn't quite fathom. "I'll stay an enforcer, and try my best to stay alive, so that I don't leave this child fatherless. I... love you, too."

Amy felt her own eyes tear up as she smiled tenderly. "Then yes." His eyes rose to meet hers, and she couldn't help a soft giggle at his confused and dumb look. "I mean 'Yes, I'll marry you,' you stupid idiot."

He suddenly hugged her around her waist then, in another are rare initiation of affection, and she hugged him back as she felt his tears beginning to wet her shirt, but she didn't mind one bit.

x~~*~~x

"And you pretty much know the rest," Amy finished with a fond smile. "Lindy found out and thus wedding plans were made, and we were wed in 0072, several months before the twins were born. Although it was amusing to see his reaction when he found out I was having two kids instead of one. And despite all that happened, I would have gone through it all again to get to this point: I love my kids very much."

"MOOOM!" came a loud female call from upstairs. "Karel is trying to set the dolls on fire again!"

"They're action figures, not dolls!" he yelled back, clearly upset. "And it's just the bad guys!"

Amy sighed, but with an amused smile on her face as she shouted back, "Karel, what have I told you about that?"

There was a few moments of silence, then a more subdued response came: "Not to set fire to the toys because they belong to both of us and you can't afford to keep replacing them because you aren't made of money. Sorry..."

"That's better!" Amy told him, then began to laugh. Nanoha couldn't help herself as Amy's giggles were infectious, and she descended into a fit as well. It died down after several moments, and Amy wiped her eyes and checked the time on a whim.

She raised her voice again to call out: "But if you three are hungry, the pie should be cool enough now!"

Nanoha blinked as a tiara-wearing Vivio was suddenly by her side, grasping onto her with white-gloved hands, giving her a pleading look. "Mama, help me! Can we go home yet?"

"Hey, Vivio, I think I found a sailor fuku that will fit you!" Liera called cheerfully from upstairs.

x~~*~~x

"I want to thank you again, as you've given me a lot to think about," Nanoha told Amy, as she helped Vivio get her coat on.

"My pleasure," Amy replied, then looked down at her own two kids. "So, did you three have a good time?"

"Uh huh!" Liera affirmed, smiling and nodding. "It's fun having Vivio over; I wanna do it again soon!"

"Hmph," Karel said, crossing his hands over his chest. "She can't even play the bad guys, or even a damsel in distress very well, but for a girl, she didn't do too bad."

"Why do I have to be the bad guy all the time anyway!" Vivio nearly shouted back at him in anger. "You always insist on playing the hero!"

He jutted his thumb at his chest as he leaned over to glare at her. "Because I'm a boy, and boys are better at being a hero!" Liera whacked him across the back of the head. "Hey!"

"I can be a better hero than you any day!" Vivio shot back, planting her fists on her hips and returning his glare, and then some.

Amy chuckled fondly. "Almost reminds me of some of the arguments Chrono and I had when we were younger. Maybe they were meant for each other, too!"

Liera giggled at that, then sing-songed, "Vivio and Karel, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

The named pair turned to stare at her, then back to each other, them simultaneously turned away and went, "EWWWWW!"

Nanoha couldn't help herself and giggled as well, looking at the children and wondering.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

If you liked the personalities I gave Karel and Liera, feel free to use them in your own fics. I always figure there's got to be some good stories that can be made with the idea of mage twins. Personally, I do plan to use them a bit more in some scenes here and there, and then feature them more prominently alongside Vivio, Rio and Corona in a "Next Generation" type of fanfic that will come after "G-squad" and "Through a Mirror, Darkly." I'm only in the idea gathering stage of that, at the moment, as I haven't even plotted it. But if you like the way I do adventure story arcs, and like the younger cast, then look forward to it!

In chronological order, "Recollections of a Lost Age" comes next, but the next official Red Jewel Diary chapter is "Vivio and Corona's Excellent Adventure." Also, there is a Lemon Sidestory that takes place after this, that you can find at my mediaminer account. Until then, thanks for reading!^^


	10. Vivio and Corona's Excellent Adventure

**Red Jewel Diaries**

**Chapter 10: Vivio and Corona's Excellent Adventure**

Xx~~*~~xX

Nanoha: _"Sometimes I can't quite believe how much Vivio has grown, from the crying, shy child who used to clutch tearfully at my skirt, to the outgoing, friendly, and strong young girl she is today. Despite my concerns that I may not be a good enough mother, she seems to be doing well; Fate and Yuuno tell me often enough that I'm doing great, but I also think it's partly due to their support and teachings. I'd love for her to grow up without having to fight at all, but I know that probably won't be the case, and I often wonder if this is the way my own mother felt about me. Still, while I believed I could handle it, circumstances would show me just how much Vivio had become like me..."_

x~~*~~x

The two 9-year-old girls circled each other warily, looking for any weakness in the other's stance. Sensing none, they leapt in, trading a furious volley of punches and kicks that were blocked or dodged by the other, then quickly returned. As they separated again, panting harder, the blonde-hair girl with pig-tails immediately charged in again, lancing out with highly aggressive moves that threw the pale-haired, twin pony-tailed girl on the defensive, as she threw up her forearms to block and protect her face. Vivio took the opportunity to move in close and grab an arm while placing her leg between her opponent's, flipping Corona onto her back and tapping the girl's chest.

Arisa blew a whistle. "Point! Match goes to Vivio!"

The young Takamachi girl smiled and released Corona, then extended a hand to help her up, while the latter sighed and took it.

"Very good form," Nove complimented, handing the pair a couple of towels.

"Yes, both of you have come very far in the year I've been teaching you," Arisa noted with a pleased smile. "That's it for today, though. Go get cleaned up!"

Nove frowned. "You mean 'we've' been teaching them."

The two younger girls looked at each other and sighed as they moved to the side of the room to retrieve their energy drinks for a revitalizing drink; they knew what was coming, and it was pointless to try and stop it. Plus, lessons were over for today, and they needed to head out to the pickup point.

"Sure, I suppose, although it was the karate moves and tai-kwon-do toss I taught them that finished it," Arisa replied, shrugging and waving her hand to brush off the correction.

"But it was the Strike Art combo that I showed them, that enabled Vivio to get close enough to use it in the first place!" Nove growled, poking the other teacher's chest. "You're just lucky I was able to fix your mistakes in teaching, when I caught Vivio practicing by herself!"

Vivio looked over at Corona's tug on her training outfit, who then pointed to the changing room doors. Vivio herself wasn't quite ready to get changed, figuring she could get a few pointers from the fight that was coming, but apparently Corona was ready to call it quits for now. Nodding at each other, the two headed for the doors.

Arisa whirled and went head-to-head with the redhead. "Mistakes!? Your so-called 'strike arts' are so clumsy and ineffectual, that it's no wonder you wouldn't recognize a true martial art!"

"Oh YEAH!?" Nove nearly shouted, rolling up her sleeves. "I fail to see how a dumb loudmouth knows anything about true fighting styles!"

"A lot more than a humorless idiot that couldn't hit a ball if her life depended on it!" Arisa sneered back, as the two younger girls paused in the doorway to look at each other and sigh again.

"THAT'S IT!" Nove growled loudly as she struck.

The sounds of female shrieks, taunts, insults, and fighting strikes echoed into the changing room, but the two girls tried to ignore it as they changed.

The adults could be such children sometimes.

x~~*~~x

"So why didn't you counter me back there?" Vivio asked, curious as the pair finished off the ice cream cones they picked up from the stand, now back in their normal school clothes. Despite the fact that her relic had been removed awhile ago, and thus she had less magic power available then she did before, she still felt her sparring partner was holding back in their matches.

Corona looked up, appearing a bit embarrassed. "W-what do you mean? You came on so strongly and it surprised me. I didn't have time to counter."

Vivio frowned at her. "You need to stop letting your opponent scare you like that. Sometimes you just have to bust through, even if you take a few hits!"

"I'll try to remember that," Corona replied softly looking, her gaze focused forward and down a bit, but then her head came up to smile at her. "I'm really glad that you liked Strike Arts, too. I was afraid I was the only girl who did."

"Me too, and I'm glad we got to know each other better as well!" Vivio agreed, then searched through her backpack. "Hmm, I seem to be out of bubblegum. Do you have any?"

"I think so," Corona answered, taking off her own backpack to check, then coming out with two sticks, handing one to her friend. "It looks like this is all I have."

Vivio beamed as she popped it in her mouth. "Thanks! This should do until we can pick up some more on the... ride... home..."

"Vivio?" Corona questioned as they had come around a corner, then followed her friend's gaze across the courtyard, past a few trees.

There was a lone girl with short, purple hair that looked about their age, walking across the empty courtyard, but what got her attention was the two adult males who were sneaking up behind her. Before she could process what was going on, the guys pounced on her. She whirled and delivered a kick to the groin of one and he crumpled like a house of cards, but his partner dropped a large sack over her head and grabbed her legs when he pulled it down that far.

"Lemme go you scumbags!" she shouted angrily, waving her hands through the sack and managed to smack the guy holding her on the head. "You made a big mistake coming after me! I'll bash your brains in when I get out of this! You'll be lucky to be able to drink food out of a straw when I'm done with you!"

The first guy recovered enough to stand up and he jabbed her with something that made a zapping sound; the sack shook for a bit, then all her struggles ceased. The first threw her over their shoulder and they began to run off.

The event the two girls witnessed, which took place over the span of 5-10 seconds, were still frozen with shock, but it was Corona who recovered first. "We should go tell one of the adults, so they can handle this! I think Arisa-sensei and Nove are still in telepathic range..." She paused as she concentrated, then made a face. "Strange, I can't reach them..."

x~~*~~x

"I wanna be a ballerina... " Nove groaned on her back, wondering where all the pretty birdies came from, and why there was a buzzing sound in her ears.

"It takes three licks, Mr. Owl..." Arisa disagreed from nearby, also on her back, smiling in glee at the grand ball of happy dancing bears taking place in on the ceiling.

x~~*~~x

"We should go find an adult," Corona repeated, tugging on Vivio's sleeve.

_"Because I'm a boy, and boys are better at being a hero!"_

Vivio was about to agree, but a single sentence flashed through her mind, and her mind was instantly made up as she grabbed Corona's arm. "No, we can handle this; they might not get here in time. Let's go!"

"Whaaa-!?" was all Corona could say as Vivio took off running across the courtyard the way the two men had gone. "We'll never catch up to them!"

"Yes we will, if they are headed towards the parking lot!" Vivio told her gleefully. "We just need a shortcut!"

"Vivio, waaaaiitttt!" the other girl protested.

Vivio concentrated her magic and jumped, landing on top of a second story building and running across the roof, barely registering the girl flapping in the wind that she was pulling behind her. Her blood was pumping and the chase was on; she'd show Karel a thing or two about being a hero!

With practiced ease, she leapt towards the next building, catching sight of the two men farther ahead running down the stairs towards the parking lot. Depending on which car was theirs, Vivio thought that it would be close, so she increased her mana flow and put on more speed, aiming for the black van as the two suspects tossed the sack in the back and climbed in. With a final burst of magic, she leapt from the last building and covered the twenty meters to the vehicle, landing on the roof a second after it started moving.

Corona just barely managed to get a hold of the rack on top as it took off, finally managing to ask the main question on her mind. "Vivio, what are you doing!?"

"We're gonna save her!" the other girl shouted back cheerfully, working her way up slowly. "Help me get these guys!"

Corona took one look at the rapidly moving pavement below and froze up, suddenly wondering if she had perhaps made the wrong kind of friend, and if they had Strike Arts in the afterlife.

"It's okay, Corona!" Vivio shouted at her and flashing her a thumbs up. "You'll be fine, just remember our training and magic courses! I'll deal with the guys, while you try to break open the back of the van and rescue the girl!"

Somehow, the confident smile she was being given infected her, and Corona steeled her wits, trying not to look at the ground quickly passing below. She focused magic in her limbs, increasing her strength enough to easily hold on as she worked her way backwards; both Vivio and the girl were counting on her, and she wouldn't let them down!

x~~*~~x

"Did you hear something land on the roof?" Jerry asked from the passenger seat.

"Huh?" Ralph replied as he concentrated on driving. "I don't think so, must have been your imagination."

Jerry scratched his head. "I thought for sure... I'm gonna check; we can't afford to mess this job up."

He rolled down his window and peaked out, twisting his body to get a look above, blinked once at the grinning girl, then very mechanically moved back in.

"Well?" Ralph inquired. "See anything?"

Jerry's mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally said, "I'm not sure. I think there's a 9-year-old-girl up there."

"You really need to stop drinking before a job, Jerry," Ralph told him, changing lanes as they moved up onto the freeway.

Vivio's upper-half suddenly swung into the car from the passenger side, hanging upside as she punched Jerry's face and grabbed his neck. "Alright you two, pull over before I'm forced to get tough with you!"

"Ack!" Jerry commented, trying to pull the iron grips off that were choking the life from him; since when were little girls so strong!?

Ralph stared in shock as he realized [There really was a girl!] then shook his head as he recovered from the surprise. "Not on your life, missy! The Apple Dumpling Gang doesn't give up that easy!"

Vivio blinked as she tried to process that, not letting up on her death grip. "The Apple Dumpling Gang? You guys need a better name. Anyway, pull over or I'll do even worse things to your friend here!" She shook him rapidly for emphasis.

"Never!" Ralph shot back, as there came a heavy bang on the rear door. "It doesn't matter what you do to us!; we've never failed a job, and we won't start now!"

He risked a look back to see a huge dent in it, just in time to see a second dent join it nearby, wondering what the hell was going on back there. He twisted the wheel to the side, changing lanes roughly, trying to throw off the girl, but she held tight. In the side, mirror, however, he caught sight of someone else hanging off the back, realizing it must be her partner!

Jerry's face began to turn an interesting shade of blue as he gasped for breath. "I really think... we should... listen to her... Ralph...ack..."

"Don't worry, Jerry, I got this!" Ralph replied confidently, as two more bangs sounded on the rear door. [Just what kind of monster can put dents in steel doors!?] He shook his head. "I know how to shake 'em!"

He cranked the steering wheel to the right, then jerked it back hard to the left, trying to shake the two people from the van by moving into the far left lane, and then into the shoulder. He alternated on the two paths a couple more times, the back door dent receiving only one more hit that finally burst a small hole through. But he wove back and forth more rapidly, and then cranked hard left and then right, grinning as his results finally bore fruit.

"Haha, I got her off!" he cheered.

"Corona!" Vivio cried in alarm, releasing her death grip and letting go as she disappeared back up to the roof.

"Did you see that?" Ralph said happily. "Told ya, I'd do it!"

"Thanks..." Jerry wheezed, gasping for breath.

x~~*~~x

It took just a split second for Vivio to note that her friend had just been dislodged, and was falling off the freeway bridge to the city below, when the young Takamachi girl returned to the roof. Wasting no time, she sprinted off the roof of the van and leapt with all her might, keeping her body straight as she dove through the air like a knife.

Neither one of them could fly yet, but Vivio had memories of being able to when she had been in her adult form; she no longer had her relic now, and her adult form was limited, but she still switched to it to add more mass. Her clothes shifted as well, thanks to a simple transformation magic spell Arf taught her; it allowed her to magically grow her current clothes to fit her new body, and thus enable her to use her adult form in emergencies like this.

Vivio finally managed to snag Corona's outstretched hand as they dove into an ally, then tugged hard, pulling her friend behind her and twisting her body to put her legs first and to the side, trying to kill her momentum and regain control as she ran sideways along a wall. Gravity eventually caught up, though, and both girls arced down, out of control, to land in a large square bin.

The teenage-looking blonde wiped the coffee grounds off her face. "Corona, are you okay?"

The other girl sniffled as she pulled a banana peel off her head. "I-I think I swallowed my gum..."

Vivio sighed and smiled, realizing she had spit hers out awhile back, then offered her a hand as they pulled themselves out of the garbage bin. "I'm sorry, Corona, but we almost had them..." She looked up at the overhead freeway and sighed again.

"Can we PLEASE go home now?" Corona begged. "There's no way we can catch up to them now!"

"Maybe..." Vivio said absently, then saw something out of the other side of the alley, and grinned. "Then again, maybe not! I got an idea!"

Corona whimpered as her arm was grabbed again.

x~~*~~x

The kidnappers, who had begun to feel relieved now that their attackers were gone, found their annoyance level rising again. They were growing more and more... distressed at their victim's behavior and attitude, tied up in the sack in the back of the van, who had recovered from the earlier treatment.

"When I get out of here, your grandkids will be singin' soprano!" she threatened. "And if you touch me, I'll tell everyone what sick loli perverts you are!"

"Um, we don't have any intentions about molesting you," Ralph said from up front, still behind the wheel.

She paused, then seemingly grew more irate. "You don't? What, my body not sexy enough for you? Is that it? Just wait til I get older!"

"Huh?" Ralph replied intelligently. "No, I have a wife I am very happy with, and-"

"Just drive, Ralph," Jerry told him, unbuckling his seat belt and standing up.

"Then exactly what kind of lame kidnappers are you?" she went on. "You grab a girl and tie her up, and there's no kinky sexual torture? I-Aaaaaaah!"

She promptly went quiet and still, as Jerry removed the stun stick from the sack's side, and sat down again.

"Thank you," Ralph said, as blissful quiet descended. "We really should get extra pay for this job."

The sack twitched.

x~~*~~x

"What!?" Nanoha said in alarm to the viewscreen.

"I'm sorry, but I said there was a kidnapping at the Saint Church Academy," Sister Schach told her apologetically. "We currently have two students unaccounted for, Vivio Takamachi; the other being her friend, Corona Timil. We had some reports of a couple of men who grabbed someone on campus, but no good descriptions."

"So they only took one girl?" Nanoha asked for clarification.

"According to our initial inquiries, yes," Schach answered. "We're still going through reports and tracking the vehicles that left since then. I'm truly sorry, we're not even sure how such a thing like this could happen; I personally make the security arrangements..."

Nanoha allowed the woman's voice to trail off, as tried to make sense of her confused thoughts. [If they only grabbed one, and both Vivio and Corona are missing, then where is the other one?]

x~~*~~x

"Okay, we're here," Vice said as he pulled up on his motorcycle and his passenger dismounted. "But I don't see why you wanted me to bring you."

"There are some... items, I need to procure," Signum informed him, smiling slyly as she took off her helmet and set it on the back of the bike. "I won't be that long."

Vice dismounted as well, setting his own helmet down, but leaving the motor running as he looked up at the drug store. "And I can't come in with you, huh? Just what are you getting?"

Her small smile remained as she headed for the door. "You'll find out at a later time."

Vice sighed as he leaned against a post and muttered. "Crazy woman, sometimes I don't know why I bother. And why did she want me to drive her? Why not take Fate's car? Hmmm..." He sniffed a few times. "And what is that smell?"

"Thanks Mr. Vice, you're a genius!" came a female voice from behind him.

"You really need to tell Alto that, because I-" he started to say, then stopped and blinked, quickly turning around. "Vivio!?"

"I promise I'll return it lateeeerrrr!" she said as she sped away.

"Sorry about thiiiiis!" Corona added looking back at him, tightly hugging Vivio's adult-form waist.

"Hey, come back with that!" Vice called, starting to chase, then gave up and walked back to the store. "What in the world was that about?" He paused and paled. "Oh gods, that was Vivio; Nanoha is gonna kill me!"

x~~*~~x

Vivio was really glad she had taken those motorcycle driving lessons from Teana, as they were certainly coming in handy... sort of.

"Watch out for that car!" Corona cried, grabbing tighter, as the motorcycle wobbled across lanes.

The adult-form driver managed to send it wobbling back the other way, barely dodging the oncoming vehicle, but she was beginning to get the hang of it and so increased speed. She could only maintain her adult form for about about 15 minutes without the relic, and she wouldn't be able to control this in her normal form; they needed to catch up to the Van, quick.

If her passenger didn't kill her with the death grip. "Watch out for that stand!"

Vivio glanced up and tried to steer it back to the left, but she wasn't quite in time, as the vegetable stall vendor dove out the way a split second before the bike caught the front edge of the rickety frame and smashed it to pieces. Miraculously, she managed to keep control while shouting back an apology, but wasn't sure if he heard, as he was shouting "My cabbages!" in despair.

"Watch out for that lady!" Corona shouted in alarm, seriously wondering whether she should just close her eyes.

This time, Vivio did manage to dodge the obstacle, just barely missing the woman crossing the street, breathing a sigh of relief. "Haha, Vivio of the cycle! Hero to you and me!"

Corona peaked her eyes open and wailed. "Watch out for that tree!"

Luckily, she only went through the bushes surrounding the tree on the sidewalk, before getting back on the road and climbing up the ramp to enter the freeway while picking up speed. Breathing another sigh of relief, she wondered for the first time if this was really such a good idea; perhaps Karel was rubbing off on her too much. Then she saw his laughing face in her mind, telling her girls couldn't be heroes, and she growled, revving up the engine more and beginning to pass car after car.

Corona just decided to keep her eyes closed; it was easier to see the many scenes of her life flash through her mind that way. She wondered what would be said at her funeral, and whether the flowers would be pretty.

"There they are!" Vivio declared triumphantly as the black van with the hole in the back appeared up ahead after several minutes. "I'll pull up along side them, and you do what you can to stop them!"

The passenger swallowed nervously and stared holes into her friend's back, wondering if Vivio had finally lost it. Or maybe she had lost it. Either way, there was entirely too much in the way of losing happening, and not enough safe-and-warm-at-home going on.

Vivio gunned the engine again as she weaved past the final car, feeling a strange sense of exhilaration. This is it! They'd finally do it now! The van was in the far right lane, so she pulled over to the shoulder and began moving up the right side of the vehicle, indicating for Corona to jump to the rear bumper again and resume her attack on the back.

Corona took one look at the van, did the complex calculations regarding their current velocities, and buried her face into Vivio's back. "I CAN'T!"

Vivio sighed and focused magic into her left fist, then put on speed to reach the passenger's side door, taking a second to pound it hard, putting a large dent in it and knocking the van over a meter. It corrected, though, and she dropped back as it tried to slap her into the right railing. Vivo revved the engine and quickly came up on the right, punching the side several times with her right hand, sending the van skidding along the rail guard. It recovered quicker this time, forcing Vivio into the next lane over as it came back with a vengeance.

Then it headed for an off-ramp, and Vivio leaned over to make the ramp as well; she wouldn't lose them this time, no matter what!

The cat-and-mouse continued through the narrower streets, as she managed a few more dents and a hole, but then their luck finally ran out as they turned a corner into an oncoming truck. Vivio's eyes grew wide as the grill of the semi approached seemingly in slow motion, and she instantly knew there was no way she was going to dodge that.

Reacting quickly, she grabbed Corona and leapt high into the sky, seeing the motorcycle slide under the large semi with trailer and get crushed, suppressing an involuntary shudder realizing that could have been them. She landed on the truck's trailer, took a few more running steps, then leapt again and landed on the flat roof of a nearby building, both girls tumbling across it to a stop as Vivio canceled her adult form and returned to normal size.

"I can't do this anymore!" Corona wailed as she pulled herself into a sitting position and hugged her knees. "I get dragged across roofs, carried on top of a van, nearly fall to my death, we nearly ran several people over, nearly wiped out several times, nearly squashed by that van again, and almost crushed by a huge semi truck!"

She broke down into sobs as Vivio felt a surge of guilt and hugged her. "I'm sorry, perhaps I shouldn't have dragged you along into this. I just thought that maybe getting you into the action would show you what I know you can do. Throughout all that, you did great!"

Corona leaned back and dried her eyes. "I-I did?"

Vivio nodded enthusiastically. "Sure, we almost died several times, but we didn't, because we're both stronger than we know. I only made it this far because you were here, too. They threw everything they had at us, and they couldn't finish us!" She glanced over Corona's shoulder, eyes widening in surprise as she saw the van pull into the lot of an old, brick, three-story building with several boarded up windows. "And we're still not out of it yet!"

She stood up, pulling Corona up with her, pointing out the target as the van pulled around to the side of the building and stopped. The two girls turned to each other in surprise.

"What do you say we finish this, and rescue ourselves a kidnapped victim!" Vivio told her confidently, holding up her right hand.

Corona took it hesitantly, then nodded. "O-okay, we can do this!"

"Then it's time to kick butt and chew bubblegum!" Vivio told her, grinning.

Corona blinked. "But we're all out of gum..."

"Exactly!"

Vivio paused, definitely realizing she had spent too much time around Karel on Earth.

x~~*~~x

"What the hell happened to the van?" the guard named Fenten asked from the doorway, staring in disbelief at the various large holes and dents, as well as grey scrape marks along the side.

Jerry exited the passenger side and walked past him into the building, pale-faced. "Girls... Monster girls..."

Fenten blinked, then looked at Ralph for an explanation as he took the sack from the back of the van and carried it in, but there didn't appear to be one forthcoming from him, either.

"Don't ask," Ralph told him wearing a haunted look and not meeting his gaze.

x~~*~~x

"What's going on?" the girl demanded from her chair, yanking on her chains that locked her hands behind the seat back; but none of the half a dozen men answered her, as she sent them each killing looks.

"I'll tell you what's going on," said another man who just entered, a bit shorter and a little more portly than the others. He slowly walked over to her, flicking his cigar. "I'm Lucious Denst, boss of this organization. It's quite simple; your family is loaded, and it was a mistake of them to think their daughter would be safe at the Saint Church; we had an inside man who could arrange to sneak our agents in!" He arrived in front of her and leaned down, holding her chin and staring into her defiant eyes, examining her as if she were a necklace about to be sold. "The Wesley family will pay a great deal to have their only daughter returned!"

The girl scowled in anger, leaning her head back a bit, then sending it forward to smack his nose with her forehead. "Touch me again and I'll do worse than that, baldy!"

He stumbled back holding his nose, but was caught by his men, taking out a cloth to wipe the blood off his face. "Why you little...!"

His men held him back as he tried to hit her back, while one of them said, "Don't boss, we can't mess her up because we need her for ransom!"

Lucious growled, then relented and stormed out, while the girl just grinned defiantly.

x~~*~~x

Fenten sniffed the air, wondering what that smell was, before two small dark shapes sprinted around from either side of the van in the darkening evening sky. Before he could register what they were, multiple strikes to his body and head laid him out. One of the figures nodded at the other, then they peeked into the doorway.

"Ready?" Vivio asked, their brief rest having allowed her to get more of her magic back.

Corona still appeared a bit hesitant, but there was more confidence present now, and she nodded. The pair entered the darkened room, heading for the doorway on the other side, but another man walked out of it before they got there.

"Hey Fenten, what's with the-" he started to say, then saw the two girls.

Corona hesitated as the bat he was carrying came up, but Vivio put on a burst of speed and slid around the weapon striking him several times, then jumping and doing a spin kick to knock him towards Corona. Her training took over as she did a roundhouse that sent him face first into a wall, where he slid to the floor.

Adrenaline pumping again, the pair dashed into the room, interrupting four more members enjoying a card game. While in prison, the four would recount this day with horror, as a pair of small but powerful devils laid into them with a vengeance; they'd also be the laughing stock of the prison, once they were forced to admit that their assailants were 9-year-old-girls. Counseling sessions would last long after the prison sentence.

x~~*~~x

"What's all that racket down below?" Lucious demanded to know from his desk, hearing a guy cry out and something break. When none of the three lackies in his office moved, he yelled out angrily, "Well, get down there and find out, morons!"

They scrambled out of the small office, leaving him alone with his hostage and one other, a bigger man partially hidden by shadow.

"You want me to go, too?" he asked in a gruff voice.

"No, you can stay," Lucious replied, leaning back in his chair. "There's no one who can get past my entire gang. I hand-picked some of the toughest hoodlums in the slums; they were brought up in a cut-throat environment, so only those with superior killer instincts survived and-"

The door slammed open to admit a lone male who limped into the room, holding his left arm. "B-boss, it's terrible!"

"Vinny?" Lucious questioned, standing and moving around his large desk. "What is it? What's happening out there?"

"It's horrible!" Vinny answered, his voice quivering in fear. "A pair of inhuman devils are killing everyone in their path! And the worst part is you don't see them coming! You just... smell it... oh god, the horrible, terrible smell... as if they came from hell itself...."

The boss shook his underling as the latter began to babble, but that only caused his eyes to roll up into his head go unconscious. Lucious dropped him in disgust and turned around to address the other male occupant in the room.

"Well, it looks like you'll have someone to test your skills against after all," Lucious told him, to which the man bowed and strode out of the room. Then he happened to notice the way his hostage was grinning at him. "What?"

"Now you're gonna geeet iiiittt!" she sing-songed.

Lucious snapped a pencil in half and debated the ransom reward vs. killing her now.

x~~*~~x

Vivio and Corona paused to catch their breath as they arrived at the third floor, having left a trail of unconscious bodies in their wake, but each felt more alive then they had in ages... well, in Corona's case, this would be the first time ever as she flashed Vivio an eager smile. After a few moments to recover, the pair nodded at each other stepped out of the stairwell, crossing the large upper floor while looking around, but it was mostly bare except for the building's support columns.

"Congratulations on getting this far," a deep voice praised them, and their eyes traced the source to a large tanned man wearing a white training gi with black belt, similar to the one Arisa wore, but this one had the sleeves torn off revealing large muscled arms. "But this is as far as you... children!? There must be some mistake."

"No mistake!" Vivio told him, sliding into a stance which Corona mirrored next to her. "We're here to take you down and rescue the hostage!"

"So get out now if you don't want to get hurt!" Corona added, really feeling into this.

"Amusing, you think you can fight?" he questioned, clearly confused, but then shrugged. "Come then. The first move is yours. If you get past me, you'll find the one you seek."

The two girls charged in as one, Corona going low with a sweep while Vivio leapt up to deliver a spin kick to the man's face. But surprisingly, he leapt over Corona's leg and blocked Vivio with one arm, grabbing her leg with his other hand and tossing her forcefully away while kicking Corona. She put up a small barrier to block, but the impact still sent her flying across the room. Vivio managed to land on still upright, but Corona skidded a bit before flipping and doing a handstand to return unsteadily to her feet.

Both looked at each other in surprise; that wasn't supposed to happen. But they shook it off and, by twin nods, they ran in again, this time at different angles, however the results were similar. The man was forced to be more active this time, but both girls ended up punched or kicked away, sent tumbling along the hardwood floor.

"Ha, your styles aren't too bad; I can tell you have been practicing," he told them, laughing. "And magic-enhanced, which explains why you've been able to take out the rest of the gang, but I can enhance my Strike Arts with magic, too!" He waved a hand in front of his nose. "I can also see what they meant by stench, haha. I am called Zanza; I would know your names, little ones."

"Vivio Takamachi," the blonde said, getting back up.

"I-I'm Corona Timil," the other mirrored, using a column as a support to return to her feet.

Vivio glanced in worry at Corona; their trek up had used up quite a bit of magic, she had taken the worst in both attacks, and she didn't have quite as much magic as Vivio did. She couldn't let her friend suffer against this guy, as he was in a different league than the others, thus there was only one option remaining.

"Corona, you go for the hostage, while I take care of him," Vivio stated evenly, which caused Zanza to break out laughing. Corona opened her mouth to reply, but Vivio shouted, "GO!"

"Amusing, but neither one will pass, I-" his words died on his lips as Vivio shifted into adult form as she charged.

While it lacked the Saint's Armor and the ability to fly, she could process more magic in this form as well as get more reach out of her limbs, along with more physical strength. Given the magic she had used so far and her time spent in this form earlier, though, she estimated she had no more than five minutes left; she'd have to finish this fast. And thus she yelled as she came in, trying to get his full attention. It seemed to work, and her greater abilities were more of a match for the man, forcing him on the defensive to avoid her strikes, while she was able to deflect his own.

Corona's gaze shifted back and forth between the door at the other end, which a portly man was standing in who was obviously no fighter, and then back to Vivio fighting Zanza. She started walking that way, around the room, but stopped; she couldn't just abandon Vivio like this. Her friend had shown no fear during this entire thing while Corona herself had been scared to death during most of it. Even now, Vivio was doing all the work, trying to go it alone against the skilled fighter, but they were still too evenly matched. Corona realized that, though she might save the hostage, her best friend could end up in bad shape if she abandoned Vivio now; she couldn't let that happen, though she could be the edge that tipped things in their favor.

Mind set, she took a deep breath, then charged in as her adult-form friend was knocked away.

Vivio flipped in mid-air to land in a crouch, surprised to note what her comrade was doing. "Corona!"

Zanza already knew she was coming, though, and met her attack; a simple straight punch that was blocked by his leg, and then began a counterattack on her. Vivio began sprinting towards him, but she realized she wouldn't make it in time before he broke Corona's defense; in her mind, she saw images of her friend, laughing, smiling, and sparring, and then laying on the ground, life fading. She couldn't let it be ended like this!

But she was in for a surprise; Corona didn't go totally on the defensive in the face of Zanza's assault, but after flipping back from a downward thrusting punch, she sprang forward, putting all her magic in a shield to block his side kick which still hit her hard, but she held onto his ankle and swung under and over it, sending her feet up into his face. He was forced to block with a barrier on his hand, but now he was off-balance.

And it was at that moment that Vivio finally reached him, slamming a punch into his lower back with all her might. He buckled over backwards, while Corona spun in mid-air as she dropped down, then sprang back up from the groun with a jumping high-kick to his groin, and from there it was all over. His rhythm and stance were broken, and the two girls pounded on him from all sides until he collapsed backwards, unconscious.

"I-I don't believe it..." Lucious stammered from the doorway, edging backwards. "They really are two devils!" He slammed the door closed in fear.

Vivio reverted to normal form, with most of her magic spent smiling at Corona and raising her hand. "You did it!"

"I-I did!" Corona said, nearly not believing it herself, reaching up to high-five her friend.

x~~*~~x

"I can't believe two little girls have defeated my entire gang; it's impossible! and the police are here!" Lucious wailed, quickly grabbing folders and items from his desk drawers. "I have to get out of here at least!"

The nearby hostage girl scowled, then hopped her chair over several paces and kicked him in the shin with as much power as she could muster given her limited rang, grinning as he dropped everything he was holding and hopped around on one leg.

"Why you little-!" Lucious seethed, whirling on her and reaching for her neck, but suddenly froze as the door burst open revealing two girls standing there; he promptly dropped to his knees to plead. "I give up! I surrender! Please don't hurt me!"

"Corona, would you do the honors?" Vivio asked, gesturing with her head towards the chained-up girl with the short purple hair, who blinked as Corona did a chop that cut through her bonds.

"Wow, impressive!" she noted with awe. "Who are you guys?"

"I'm Corona Timil, and that's Vivio Takamachi," the pale brown-haired girl told her. "Who are you, and why did they want you?"

She smiled. "I'm Rio Wesley, nice to meet you two! Was that Strike Arts? I know a thing or two myself, but my parents won't let me practice it much for fear I'll get hurt...."

Vivio grinned at her and Corona. "Well, if you like, we have a couple of teachers who could show you things. But for now, I think we should get out of here with this guy."

"Allow me!" Rio said, cracking her knuckles as she walked over to the quivering ex-boss and smacked him. "Get moving, porky!"

The trio, plus their captive, made their way down to the sirens below, which contained a very-worried Nanoha-mama who was overjoyed to see her daughter unharmed, while Rio and Corona were whisked off to their own parents. Vivio silently wondered if they'd ever see that new girl again...

Which it turned out they did, a couple of months later.

"Class, I'd like to introduce a new student," their female teacher announced one morning, then turned to the closed door. "You can come in now!"

Vivio and Corona sat up in their chairs as the new person entered: a familiar girl with short purple hair who introduced herself as Rio Wesley, who would be in this class for the rest of the school year. As for a seat, there was just one: to the left of Vivio Takamachi. Corona leaned over from where she sat to the right of Vivio, and the three girls smiled at each other.

Somehow, each knew that they'd end up being the best of friends.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

I have to admit, this one was fun to write. I didn't actually have even an idea about this, until after I had completed several chapters already. It wasn't even going to be a chapter, but I got a brainstorm that wrote itself out, and RB told me to do it, so of course that meant I had to.

Fun facts: According to the Vivid manga, Corona was friends with Vivio for awhile prior to the start of the Vivid. We don't know how long, so I took some liberties there. However, Rio was apparently someone new that Vivio and Corona had met near the end of their previous school year, so here you have it. I'm not taking Vivid canon into this, even bending it a little, since Rio thought Vivio and Corona were more bookworm types, and not into Strike Arts. But, this is my Crisis AU now, so I'm rolling with this. I might borrow other elements from Force and Vivid, but obviously won't use their storylines (at least for now!).

Tune in next time for Erio, Caro, Zafira, Agito, Lutecia, and Megane in: Dragon Quest!


	11. Dragon Quest part 1

**Red Jewel Diaries**

**Chapter 10: Dragon Quest (part 1)**

Xx~~*~~xX

Nanoha: _"Vivio isn't the only child who seems to be quickly growing up; Fate's "kids" have been advancing into their teenage years quite rapidly lately, Erio in particular with regards to height. But it might be Caro that is surpassing him a bit in maturity. A recent event demonstrated both, and worried Fate to pieces when she heard about it, but I think, however, that she is more than proud than anything of how they are growing up on their own. And also, the growth of a friend of theirs was also quite surprising..."_

x~~*~~x

Caro dragged herself out of bed and rubbed her bleary eyes, wondering what was wrong with herself and why she felt so tired. Well, she actually realized why she might be lethargic, because she had another confusing dream last night and couldn't figure out what it meant, and that meant she spent the night tossing and turning. The most obvious conclusion was that it was another dragon trying to get in contact with her, but it didn't seem right; there was only a vague shape and a garbled voice in the black void of her dreamscape. As before with Adelinde, she stood ready for whatever test, but none came, and the shape didn't reply to her inquiries.

As Caro headed for the bathroom to wash-up, she thought it might be a different sort of test; maybe the dragon was waiting for her to figure out its name, or figure out the puzzle, or say the right thing. She couldn't go back to her tribe, so that just left her trying to figure out things on her own. She was a summoner of the Lu Lushe tribe of Alzas, and she could do this if she just put her mind to it!

While she put her clothes into the laundry basket, she sighed at another task she'd have to put her mind to; washing hers and Erio's clothes later. It wasn't something she was assigned, but she did it anyway just to make sure they'd get done; she wouldn't have him forgetting to wash until he ended up having to wear dirty clothes again.

Fried flew into the bathroom and alighted on her shoulder, giving her cheek a lick which made her giggle. "Good morning to you, too! Did you sleep well? And is Erio not up yet?"

He chirped at her, which gave her all the answer she needed.

She sighed. "He's been sleeping in more and more lately. If I didn't know better, I'd swear he was trying to avoid the morning work. Shall we go wake him?"

He hung his head, almost shrugging, as if to say, "Good luck with that!" then flew off again, probably to get some breakfast.

Caro sighed again as she finished dressing, then headed over to his room and knocked, receiving a faint groan in reply. She didn't bother knocking a second time, or even calling out, instead just opened his door and walked in. The sight inside caused her scowl.

"Erio, you need to get up," she told him as she began picking clothes up off the floor. "And you need to put socks and shirts in the hamper, as I'm washing today!"

A muffled "okay" sounded from under the shifting covers.

"And also try to empty your pockets fully before tossing them," she added, laying the articles of clothing over her arm. "I found several tissues in your jeans last time."

"I know, I know," Erio said more clearly, his voice sounding a bit strange, but still covered by sheets. "I'll be more careful. Can you let me get dressed now?"

"Erio?" Caro said, suddenly concerned, reaching up to draw back his sheet. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine!" he nearly shouted back from under the covers, holding onto the top blanket strongly so she couldn't pull it off. "Can you just leave me alone?"

Caro snatched her hand back, talking over her shoulder as she headed back to the door. "Well, I was just concerned about you, but I'll leave and put your clothes into the hamper for you, and then head down to help fix your breakfast. Feel free to join the rest of us when you can pull yourself out of bed!"

She roughly pulled the door closed, wonder what had got into him lately. They had always been close, but he seemed to push her away more and more lately, as if he didn't want to be around her. What was his problem?

She sighed and marched down the hall, pushing him out of her mind for the moment, and concentrating on what she'd be doing for the day.

x~~*~~x

Erio breathed a sigh of relief as the door slammed shut, then started to get out of bed and placed the tissues on his nightstand. He felt mildly guilty about what he had said, but he couldn't let her find out about this; she'd definitely think he was weird. Perhaps he could apologized to her downstairs, and maybe offer to help with the laundry or her chores, to make it up to her.

As he began to get dressed, he just wanted to know why this was happening to him now? And why was he feeling stranger and stranger about being around Caro? She hadn't really seemed to change much, had she? She did seem a bit more on edge lately, a bit more secretive perhaps, as if she didn't want to spend as much time with him. Could she be getting sick of his presence?

Erio headed out into the hallway to wash his face, yawning, wondering if he should shave off his late evening training practices with Strada, perhaps cutting it down to only 3 or 4 days a week. He wanted to stay prepared in case something happened to Caro again; he wouldn't let her get hurt again, and somehow that seemed to become more important to him over the past year or so, but he wasn't sure why.

Shrugging, he headed downstairs to join the other Nature Preserve Rangers for breakfast. There wasn't many of them, since they worked on multiple shifts and for the most part magic automation handled a lot of the Reserve in general. So the small cafeteria only had half a dozen people in it at most during most of the day.

"Erio, over here!" Caro announced, waving from a round table with a couple other sitting at it and drawing him over. "I already got you some breakfast."

Erio sighed as he sat down, taking note of the pickles among the rest of the food; he wasn't real fond of pickles, even though Caro really liked them. "You didn't have to do that..."

"It's okay," she told him brightly. "I wanted to make up for this morning, so I saved you some of the good stuff before it disappeared."

Erio reddened a bit and focused on his meal, grabbing his fork and beginning to pick through it.

Mira, one of the other two at the table, raised and eyebrow and asked curiously, "What happened this morning?"

"Erio, are you okay?" Tanto questioned as he adjusted his glasses, a look of concern on his face.

Erio finished coughing and gulped down some juice. "I'm fine!"

"Are you sure?" Caro asked, concerned, patting him on the back. "I could go get-"

"I don't need anything else!" he nearly shouted. "I can handle my own clothes, my own breakfast, and my own business!" He instantly froze, as if realizing what he was shouting, seeing Caro's eyes begin to tear up.

Then her face turned into a scowl. "Fine, I'll stay out of your business from now on, and you can stay out of mine. Fried, let's go, we have morning chores to do."

Erio wanted to say something, but found he had no voice, as he watched her stand up with her nearly empty plate and walk away, Fried flying up from the floor to follow her out. He sighed and concentrated on his meal, realizing that he'd have to apologize to her yet again, wondering how in the world he kept upsetting her. They'd been together for a long time, so why was this all happening now?

"You probably don't want to hear this, but you should go apologize to her," Mira noted with as much tact as she could muster. "She's feeling hurt."

"I know," he said, sighing between bites. "All I ever do is upset her lately, though, and I don't know why." He noted the two adults look at each other. "What?"

"A girl's heart is a funny thing," Tanto said mysteriously. "Easily breakable if you're not careful."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Erio wondered in disbelief as Mira elbowed the man.

Mira turned to him and smiled. "What he means is, Caro is probably as confused as you are. We've seen the two of you being on edge lately. Just apologize and talk to her honestly, without raising your voice. I'm confident you two will work something out."

[I hope so,] Erio muttered, his thoughts a bit dark as he finished his meal.

x~~*~~x

"What have you got this morning, Mr. Geoff?" Caro asked the Nature Preserve Ranger Master, trying to focus her mind on work.

He looked up from his clipboard. "Oh, Caro, good mornin' to ya! Well, let's see, there's not a whole lot for ya right now. There's two tourist groups camping out that could be checked up on, the lagomorphs need to be fed, and Watersnakes Swamp will need its water level adjusted again."

"I'll handle the lagomorphs!" Caro said cheerfully and quickly as she turned Fried to adult-size, suppressing a shudder at the last suggestion; out of all the animals, she really didn't like snakes. "Fried and I can carry a lot of grain."

"Heh, thought you might," Geoff chuckled, then watched her trying to get the larger harness on Fried so he could carry the bags of feed. "Sure you don't want to wait for young Erio to give ya a hand? He's been sproutin' like a weed lately, and will probably double your height in a few years, unless you get growin'!"

Caro ignored his joke and laughter as her mood darkened a bit; height was an increasing issue between them. "I can handle-oof!"

She sighed and continued to ignore his laughter as she fell and landed on her face, but accepted his help in getting the harness and feed bags attached, then summoned Adelinde to carry the last four in each of her claws.

"Sure you don't want to wait for your young man to join you?" Geoff questioned, removing his wide-brimmed ranger hat and scratching his head as she mounted up on Fried.

"No, I can handle this," she replied, smiling at him and giving Fried's reigns a light tug. "Thanks again! I'll be back later!"

She knew she was probably being a bit petty, but she just didn't feel like talking to him at the moment, and perhaps this short jaunt to spend some time with her animal friends would do her good. Perhaps she'd try to make with him later in the evening, but right now, she just wanted to enjoy the wind in her face as the two dragons soared through the sky.

The lagomorph section was on the far side of the reserve, near the northwestern fence that surrounded the entire nature area. She giggled as the small, pink, furry creatures with long ears bounded out of the forest on two short legs to get fed, then once the feed was all deposited, she left them so they could eat in peace, desummoning Adelinde and finding a nice grassy hill overlooking the feasting animals. Fried also returned to child-size; he didn't have to, but sometimes he liked to so he could fit in her lap like he was now.

Caro scratched him and thought about her position here; she loved the world of Supool, and the Nature Reserve in particular, as well as all her friends, so she wondered why she was feeling a bit empty and listless lately.

"They are quite beautiful, aren't they?" a gentle male voice announced from behind, startling her.

She turned her head as Fried lifted his lazily. "Y-yes. Not many people find them so, because they look like a mishmash of leftover animal parts."

Her visitor, a young male in a T-shirt and jeans, who looked to be in his 20s, sat down a couple meters to her left, but he was still focused on the flock of lagomorphs, taking picture with a somewhat sophisticated-looking camera. "But not us, eh? I find all of nature's animals to be beautiful. All of them!"

She was surprised when he turned to her, camera still over his face as he made to take a picture of her, causing her to blush slightly for a reason she couldn't fathom. Then he pushed the button and she felt something on her neck, reaching up to find a small object lodged there. It suddenly became harder to think, her vision turning blurry, but she sensed Fried rousing in her lap and growling; with a second click, though, he flopped to the ground. She felt like she was falling, but strangely didn't feel much of anything upon hitting the grass.

The last thing she heard was a voice coming from somewhere that said, "Remember, we need both of them alive, including the small dragon."

x~~*~~x

"Zafira!" Erio noted with surprise as he stepped outside, after helping Tanto with a small task. "What are you doing here?"

"It is good to see you, Erio," the Guardian Beast told him while in human form, lips turned upwards ever so slightly into a smile. "I am actually here to see Caro. Is she around?"

He sighed. "She left a few hours ago to do something, and I'm not too sure when she'll return. Is it urgent?"

Zafira thought about it. "Not entirely. Would you like to spar some while waiting?"

Erio smiled and nodded, remembering the times the Guardian Beast had taught him some basic hand-to-hand moves. "Sure, let me just check in with Geoff; we don't seem to be too busy today."

But several hours after the workout, Caro still hadn't returned, which caused Erio to grow a bit concerned that she was staying away longer on purpose. Even so, Zafira really seemed to want to talk to her, and Erio did want to apologize, albeit reluctantly, so he reluctantly opened a communication window; but there was no response. Even Strada couldn't get in touch with Kerykeion. Growing more worried, the pair headed to the control room.

"I can't get in touch with her or her device, either," Tanto informed them at his workstation; a holographic map of the entire reserve was spread out before them on the table. "Of course, that might not mean anything, as we don't have coverage over the entire preserve, and sometimes we get interference. She should still be out there somewhere, as we would have noticed if she passed beyond the security fence."

"Even if she was upset at you, I don't think she would have been gone this long without saying something," Mira noted concerned. "Even still, I think you should go look for her. According to the log, she went to take feed to the lagomorphs. We can grab a jeep and head out there-"

"That might take too long," Zafira spoke up, and Erio thought he detected something in the Guardian Beast's voice; he seemed a bit more troubled than usual. "I can fly out there faster than a land vehicle. Erio, would you accompany me?"

Erio barely registered the question, but nodded at once, speaking his assent. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, and that Zafira knew something; but if so, why didn't he say anything before? He leapt onto Zafira's back and grabbed his fur as the Guardian Beast shifted into wolf form and took off into the sky, then spoke his questions.

"I wanted to wait to speak to you both, as Hayate wanted to keep this quiet for now," Zafira spoke mysteriously, but his next words began to clear some things up. "Carim's latest prophecies have begun describing another event which will affect Mid-Childa greatly. Based upon Yuuno's interpretations, the year these things will take place, will be one that starts with a dragon's struggle."

Erio began to understand; it was currently January of the year 0079, so if the prophecy was to take place this year, then it would fit. They would ultimately know that this was to be the year, but that would also mean...

"So you think this could concern Caro and her summons?" Erio asked, growing more worried. "Couldn't it mean something else?"

"It's possible, which is why Hayate finally decided to send me to talk to you discretely," he replied. "It's always possible we're not understanding the prophecies correctly, and most in the Bureau still don't take them too seriously. I would have come sooner, but the translated part of her latest prophecy containing this part was only recently completed." He seemed to sense the young teenager's distress, as his tone changed to comforting. "But we could be mistaken; I'm sure Caro is okay."

Erio just nodded, not replying as the pair flew through the sky, his thoughts all over the place.

x~~*~~x

"She's not here," Erio despaired, feeling a strange empty, painful feeling in his gut as he surveyed the lagomorph feeding meadow.

"But she was," Zafira told him, sniffing along the ground, slowly moving in one direction. "I detect the scents of a few others. They went off in this direction together, let's go."

Erio ran, following the rapidly moving wolf, fearing the worst as he deduced the likely outcome. "If Caro went with them, and didn't tell anyone, then she didn't go willingly. At least, I can't think of why she would deviate without letting the other rangers know."

"That is likely," Zafira admitted reluctantly. "But don't give up hope, as there could be another explanation. Also, these scents are only a few hours old, and thus there is a chance we can catch them if we hurry."

"They could be anywhere in the reserve by now," the young ranger calculated. "We're approaching the security fence, and they couldn't have gotten past that... unless they could fly over it."

"I don't think they can fly, or else they wouldn't have been traveling on the ground," Zafira told him, then his tone changed slightly. "But I think we have a problem."

Erio noticed the issue at about the same time, as they arrived at the ten meter high security barrier. There was a wide hole in the glowing green horizontal bars about three meters up, where the light had literally been bent, but shouldn't that have set off the alarms back at the control center? Erio quickly opened a communication window and relayed the situation.

"I don't know what to tell you, as that section of the fence appears to be fine from what we can tell here," Tanto's visage in the window replied, then his eyes narrowed. "Wait, let me pull up the status data from the past several hours..."

Erio followed Zafira through the hole, not needing to be an expert lupine tracker to see the tire tracks in the dirt on the other side. "Find anything? It looks like they were here, and then left."

"Hmm, I think I see it now; the status updates we are getting from that section seem to be in some sort of loop, as if it's giving us the same four data sets in 30 minute intervals," Tanto replied. "Somehow, they reprogrammed it so we'd be getting past repeat data instead of new updates, so we wouldn't see that anything was wrong. These guys are good. It looks like the loop might have started 6-8 hours ago. And we probably wouldn't have noticed it for days until the next maintenance check on that section."

"Thanks, Tanto," Erio told him, sighing. "We'll keep tracking and see if we can find them. Can you alert the authorities?"

"I suggest locking down the starport as well, and getting us information on any ships that would have left in the past 4 hours or so," Zafira added, coming up beside them. "If they planned to get offworld, we'll need to be able to track those ships."

"I'm on it," Tanto replied solemnly. "Good luck you two!"

Zafira gestured for Erio to mount him once more as they took off down the dirt road, but all the young teenage boy could think about, was how the last time he had seen her, she was mad at him. He dearly wished he would get a chance to apologize, and made a silent vow never to fight with her again.

x~~*~~x

Caro slowly awoke, moaning at the pain in her joints, but had a strange feeling of disorientation. [I don't quite remember falling asleep... And how did I end up back in my bed?] She blinked her eyes open, recalling that she didn't just fall asleep; she was attacked with something that made her pass out.

That realization caused her spring upright, fighting a wave of vertigo as she wondered just how long she was out. As she took stock of her new quarters, she wondered, [Where exactly am I?]

It appeared to be a fairly nice, well-lit bedroom. There was various fancy wood furniture, stylish multi-colored carpeting, and the bed was rather soft and posh; yhere was even a wine cabinet off to the side, and a partially open large walk-in closet, leaving her wondering if she was in some rich person's house.

"Fried!" she blurted suddenly, remembering that he was with her before the attack.

But there wasn't any sign of him nearby, and when she concentrated, she couldn't really sense him, but Kerykeion was gone as well so her telepathic range was limited. Still, she could summon Adelinde and find out just what was going on, but before she could start trying to gather mana for that, a knock sounded at the door and then it opened, revealing a man lanky man in a small white beret.

"Ah, good you're awake," he told her in a jovial voice. "Apologize for the rough treatment, but we have our orders. Don't worry, though, you're in no danger. We have no intention of harmin' ya."

"Who are you?" she asked with a little bit of both fear and anger. "Where am I? And what is this all about?"

He smacked his forehead, then bowed. "Oh, sorry, where are my manners? I'm Captain Fronz, and you're aboard my ship, the Tessa Rose. We've been ordered to escort you to see someone."

Caro regained most of her wits as she narrowed her eyes. "Who? You still haven't told me what this is all about. And where is my dragon, Friedrich?"

"I'm terribly sorry, but you'll have to be patient a bit," Captain Fronz told her apologetically. "He's asleep at the moment, a precautionary measure, but unharmed. As for what this is about, well, it's not for me to tell. But perhaps I can help you out there."

She watched as he opened a communication window, and a young man with short, fiery red hair appeared and asked, "Yes, what is it?"

"Begging your pardon, sir, but the girl just awoke, and is rather confused," the captain said in a manner that indicated the younger male in the window was his superior. "Seeing as how I'm under orders, I hoped you might explain it to her." He turned the window to so that the red-hair man was looking at her.

"Hmm, I had planned to wait, but I suppose now would be a better time," he declared. "Captain, you may leave us, and continue with your orders."

Fronz saluted with a "Yes, sir!" then left the room, leaving Caro alone with the man in the viewscreen.

"Are you alright?" he asked with seemingly genuine concern, leaving Caro a bit bewildered by the change in tone. "They didn't hurt you or anything?"

"No, I just want to know why I was kidnapped, and where Fried is!" she told him, exasperated at not getting answers.

"My apologizes, but this was all necessary, as you will see," he told her, apologetic, and she was struck by how sincere he was trying to be. "You see, we have much in common, Caro Ru Lushe of the Lu Lushe tribe of Alzas. I've been looking for you for quite some time now."

Her eyes narrowed. "How did you know that?"

He smiled honestly, which seemed somehow disarming, a "My name is Elrik. And I am, like you, an outcast of the Lu Lusche tribe. A summoner, reviled and feared for my power, also thrown out by my tribe." Her eyes widened at the declaration. "Yes, I am just like you."

x~~*~~x

The pair crouched in the foliage of the bushes at the base of the trees, studying the cabin up the hill a short ways; the two jeeps Zafira had been tracking had led them here, and were now parked beside it. Erio knew two things for sure: Caro may or may not be here, but someone inside should have some information as to her whereabouts..

Not too long ago, the scent of the vehicles led past the starport and the information they had received since then from the port authority was that four ships had taken off in the timer interval since Caro had left to feed the lagomorphs. Two of those were civilian transport vessels, who had been contacted and the captains were now searching their ships for signs of Caro. The other two were private cargo freighters who couldn't be reached, although the Bureau was sending a ship to look for them.

The interplanetary transporter controlled by the Bureau had its logs checked, but Caro hadn't been detected using it. So either she had been smuggled onto one of the ships, or if she was still on planet, then she was here. If not, those inside could probably tell them where she had been taken.

"What's taking them so long?" Erio growled quietly in frustration. "We should just go in now. Caro could be in there, and hurt or something!"

"Easy young Erio," Zafira soothed just as quietly. "If they wanted to harm her, they would have done so. None of the animals at the reserve were taken, so they were very deliberately targeting her, which means they want her alive for some reason. She'll be okay. The authorities will be here soon to assist us in apprehending them for questioning."

But Erio's anxiety only rose as the minutes passed, thinking about the way she went off mad, and how he never got the chance to apologize, and now who knew what she could be going through. If only he hadn't made her mad, then she wouldn't have gone off alone, and wouldn't be in this mess.

"I can't wait, anymore," Erio declared, then pointed his spear. "Strada, form zwei!"

The head of the spear shifted, deploying the boosters, which promptly activated and shot him up the hill. He heard Zafira call out from behind him, but then he was bursting through the front door and charging into the living room where three men looked up at him in shock from their chairs around a table.

"Where's is she?" Erio demanded to know angrily. "Where's Caro!"

The shock promptly dropped, as all three reached for weapons in their holsters. Erio recognized them as guns, and ran at them deflecting the first few shots with a shield, then jabbing the butt end of his spear into the first one's stomach, doubling him over. The other two separated, firing all the while, but a sonic move later, both were equally laid out.

His adrenaline was still pumping, though, and he quickly casts binds on all three of them before hearing the sound of a vehicle starting outside. Cursing, he flew out of the room and back outside, noting one of the jeeps making a rapid retreat down the dirt road, but a boost from Strada sent him hot in pursuit. He cought up in no time as he spun and slashed the tires on the left side, sending the vehicle spinning out and landing on it's right side. Erio landed on the car and grabbed the suspect attempting to climb out.

"Where is she!" the dragon knight demanded to know. "Where's the girl you kidnapped?"

"I-I don't know!" the terrified man sputtered. "We're just local people, hired to do a job! We were just told to drop her off with the other two men at the spaceport, that's all I know!"

But Erio wasn't finished. "Who are they? Where did they take her!"

"I swear I don't know anything else!" he cried.

"That's enough," Zafira told him, placing a hand firmly on Erio's shoulder. "He has told you all he knows for now, but we will find out where they went. Leave him for the authorities."

Erio looked up at the police cars coming up the road, then back down to the terrified suspect he was holding, then pushed him back into the car and bound him. "Fine." He then dropped down beside the jeep and sat down, leaning against it. "I know, I shouldn't have gone off like that."

"There is that," Zafira replied. "I trapped two more who were escaping out the back, before I caught up with you. I am sure Nanoha taught you better than that."

"I just... couldn't wait for some reason," Erio said, sighing as he held his head. "I don't know why, and now we may have lost her."

"All is not lost, young Erio," Zafira told him. "I received some information earlier from Hayate on piracy in the area, and I now I feel it is more relevant to consider."

Erio looked up in surprise as a new screen was opened, showing a star chart. "Piracy? How does that help us?"

"I wasn't sure at the time, but this confirms it," Zafira started to explain as several points on the map lit up. "They had money to hire these individuals and plans to escape offworld, which suggests a larger operation. These points indicate pirate attacks in the general dimensional space area. From what little information we have, they hit low-key villages and storage depots, and make off with supplies. The attacks have been relatively small, with no one being harmed, and with Bureau ship resources a bit light since the Al Hazard incident, they haven't been able to follow up on it."

"How are we supposed to find pirates?" Erio questioned. "Even if they have her and she's offworld, they could be hiding anywhere!"

"I am not sure yet, but we shall find her; we will leave no stone unturned," Zafira told him, studying the teenage boy for a bit. "You care a great deal about her, do you not?"

Erio froze, then nodded and sighed. "I had a fight with her before she disappeared. I just... don't want it to end like this. She's just been so short-tempered around me lately, and I don't know what to do about it!"

Zafira stroked his chin thoughtfully. "That depends on what you want out of your relationship. I have noticed that human mating rituals differ from that of wolves. Once we decide upon a mate, there is no hesitation; we go straight for her. If there are other wolves in the way, we fight. No matter what obstacles or what distance may be in the way, we traverse it. It is the way we prove our worth, as a female wolf wants a strong mate."

Erio had reddened a bit, but then laughed. "You make it sound like some sort of quest."

"It might be considered a quest in your terms," Zafira said with a small smile. "On the other hand, I have noticed humans seem to dance around the issue, never directly telling their prospective mate their desires. It is very strange, I must admit. But Caro is no wolf; she is much like the dragons she controls: strong and independent. If you wish a life with her, I would encourage you to be honest with her."

"I-I never said I liked her that way!" the young teenage boy protested, blushing again and turning to study the map as a pretense to hide his face. But then his eyes locked on something on the star map, and he began to think. "Zafira, I think I may have an idea!"

x~~*~~x

"Erio, I didn't expect you to call," Agito said, surprised. "I'm just here visiting for a few days. What can I help ya with?"

"Agito, um, have you noticed anything unusual in the area?" Erio asked, anxious. "There have been some pirate attacks in the general area of the planet of Carnajii."

The little demon thought for a bit. "Hmm, can't say I have. Things were quiet on the shuttle ride I took over here."

"Who is calling?" came an older female voice, then Megane stepped into view, drying a cup and smiling. "Oh, hello there, Erio! Is Caro not with you? Or did you just walk to speak to Lutecia?"

Erio hesitated, then thought the truth was best. "Caro has been kidnapped. Is Lu available? I know her bugs have mapped most of the planet by now. I'm wondering if they noticed anything."

"Oh dear," Megane uttered, raising a hand to her surprised face, then looked around thoughtfully. "Actually, I think she's out with Garyuu at the moment, but I can have her give you a call when she gets back in? And let us know if we can be of any further help."

"Me, too!" Agito added, inflamed, then pounded a tiny fist into her palm. "I'll incinerate the bastards who took her. I'll go find Lu for ya, and we'll be in contact. Keep us updated!"

"Thanks," Erio told them, as Agito smiled and flew off. "If you see or hear anything, let me know."

Megane nodded solemnly. "We will, and cheer up, Erio. You'll find her, I know you will."

Erio thanked her and signed off, sighing, then looked over at a curious Zafira studying him. "What?"

"That is quite a long shot," he remarked, thoughtful. "The odds that that they'll know something about pirates, even though Carnajii is in the general area of the other pirate attacks..."

Erio shrugged, resigned. "Leave no stone unturned, right? It was worth a shot."

x~~*~~x

Caro felt her body re-materialize after the teleport, her mind still going over what else Elrik had said after revealing himself to her.

_"I have a surprise you may like," he told her, smiling mysteriously. "But secrecy must be maintained, so while I apologize for these measures, I promise it will be worth it. Your dragon, Friedrich, and your device will be returned you when you arrive."_

And now she was here. [Wherever here is,] she added a bit darkly, but then looked around in surprise at the peaceful village spread amongst the greenery; this wasn't at all what she expected.

"Surprised?" a familiar male voice asked with a hint of amusement.

She turned to see a young man standing there, in a white casual suit. "Elrik? What is this?"

"This is our new home," he informed her, waving his hand to indicate the whole village. "For outcast summoners like ourselves. A place where we can be ourselves, free from persecution, free from being used as anyone's lap dogs, and where no one is ever an outcast."

Caro paused for a moment, seeing now the small creatures accompanied many of the dozen or so residents she could see milling about. "I don't understand... and where's is Fried?"

"Ah, here he comes now," Elrik pointed out, as the little dragon flew in and landed on Caro's shoulder. "He's just fine, as you can see."

Caro checked him over, noting from the sound of his coos that he seemed quite happy and pleased with himself, and then she hugged him as he rubbed his face against her cheek.

"Well, if you don't mind the pleasure of my company for awhile, allow me to show you around," Elrik told her, waving his arm and bowing slightly to indicate the village path, and smiling in a way that briefly made her insides feel a bit funny. "The hidden village of the summoners, known as Lushia!"

"Village of the summoners?" Caro questioned, looking around at the log cabins and wood houses intermixed with pine trees.. "Are all of these people summoners, then?"

Elrick chuckled and gestured toward a man and a woman working a small garden with their child; a type of badger summon seem to be assisting the woman. "Not all of them; a summoner sometimes brings their family with them to live in the commune. We hold no hate for non-summoners; we just don't desire to be subject to them. All we want here is a peaceful life and if someone agrees to that, they are welcome, as long as a summoner vouches for them."

He paused as a pair of girls with white-flower crowns ran up to them, giving each one of them an identical flowery wreath, then giggled and ran away after Caro thanked them, then mimicked Elrik in putting it around her neck.

"We don't get new people often, so you may see quite a bit of them studying you with curiosity, but they're all friendly," her guide told her with a hint of amusement. "But as for how I set this all up, well, it was almost 4 years ago, really. I was about your age, and I had been through some tough times after I was banished. But once I overcame them, I swore to find a place where I could live in peace, and if there wasn't one, to build it."

"What happened to you after you were cast out?" Caro asked curiously, then quickly added, "If that's not too personal of a question."

He chuckled. "Not at all. It wasn't very pleasant, but it is in the past, and most here know the story already. Like I assume you were, I had very few provisions as I was forced to wander. But while you managed to find a Bureau shelter, I wasn't so lucky. Pirates found me, and at first they were going to kill me for sport, but realized I was a mage and thus took me in. If I worked for them, I could live and share in their spoils."

"They forced you to attack other people?" Caro questioned in disbelief, finding herself a bit moved; he didn't have the luck she did to be found by the Bureau and then Fate. "It must have been hard on you..."

Elrik shrugged, then ducked under a low hanging branch. "They were doing what they had to, to survive. That's what any of us might be forced to do in other circumstances. Sure, they beat me occasionally when I didn't do what they wanted; but I was young, so I didn't know any better. However as I grew older and more confident in my powers, I attacked and killed the pirate leader; the rest fell into line shortly thereafter. I could have wiped them out with my magic, but I had enough of the killing and violence. So I made them work for me, finding other summoners, helping to build this place; most of them gradually found this a more fulfilling lifestyle."

Caro noticed that the pair had left the village, and now emerged from the thicker forest area next to a stream that seemed to have been bigger at one time. Fried flew over to drink from it.

"So I was just another summoner you wanted to join you?" Caro inquired, feeling a bit of unease for reasons she couldn't fathom.

"It does make me seem a bit bad when you put it that way," Elrik remarked, chuckling and smiling, but he also seemed a bit sad, but that expression vanished as he turned to her. "Not just because you are a summoner, but because you are a very special woman, Caro. The entire village wants you to join us, so that you can live fully as yourself, just like everyone else here."

The unease vanished, and she found herself blushing for some reason. "I-I'm flattered, but I was able to be myself back at Section Six, and at the Nature Preserve. I do good work there."

"I'm sure you did, but were you really happy, having to hide your powers from locals?" Elrik questioned. "Is there anyone in particular who is waiting for you there, who can truly accept you for who you are?"

"I..." she trailed off as Erio's image flashed through her head, and she found herself a bit sad; she wondered where he was now, and if he was worrying about her. Did he even know she was gone?

Elrik turned to her, kneeling and taking her hand. "You don't have to answer now, but I would request that you give it a few days at least. If you wish to tell people you are alright, you can compose a message and we'll send it, as long as you don't reveal our location. I'd just ask that you give things a try here, and if it's not truly what you want, you will be free to go."

Caro found her cheeks heating up again. "I'll... think about it."

He smiled gratefully, revealing a row of perfect white teeth."That's all I ask. Now come, let's return to the village, where I have one more surprise for you!"

She nodded, walking back with him, Fried flying back to land on her shoulder, all the while wondering what kind of surprise he meant. Then Fried suddenly took off again, flying through the air to land on another person's shoulder, who promptly smiled, giggled, and hugged him. Caro's mouth hung open at the girl with purple hair, not believing what she was seeing.

"Lutecia!"

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

Yes, the title is a homage to the game series. :P But I have to wonder what others the Alzus tribe may have tossed out, and what happened to them, which was part of what I wanted to explore with this, among other things.

Regarding the tribe's name and Caro's last name, I'm not too sure of the actual significance, or if they are supposed to be identical. Caro's name seems to be Ru Lushe, while it seems the tribe is Lu Lushe (although I could be wrong about that, due to Japanese R's and L's). It could be like the Scrya clan, where everyone has the same last name.


	12. Dragon Quest Part 2

**Red Jewel Diaries**

**Chapter 10: Dragon Quest (part 2)**

Xx~~*~~xX

Caro: _"This was not one of my more straightforward days; I had another fight with Erio (something that's becoming increasingly more common), I was knocked out and kidnapped, and then brought to a hidden village where outcast summoners dwelt by a mysterious young man who claims to be an Alzas outcast summoner like me. And what is Lutecia doing here!_

Erio: _"I don't know what's changing between us, and I seem powerless to stop it. I made her upset again, when all I want is for her to be okay and for things to be normal between us again. I want to apologize, and try to make things right. I'm not sure why I'm feel this way now, as I've known Caro for several years. What changed? Will anything ever be the same again?"_

x~~*~~x

"Welcome, Caro!" Lutecia offered warmly, smiling and scratching Fried under the chin.

The other girl could barely believe her eyes. "Lu! What are you doing here? I thought you couldn't leave Carnajii."

"Elrik invited me," the purple haired summoner explained, amused, her eyes twinkling. "He helped set this village up and recruit outcast summoners who were alone. Here, we can be ourselves, among others like us. Oh, forgot that you'll need this back!"

Caro continued her efforts at collecting her thoughts as Lutecia slipped the Kerykeion bracelet onto the dragon summoner's wrist. "So you joined this village of summoners, too? Couldn't you have just told me instead of kidnapping me like that?"

Luetcia planted her hands on her hips and stared angrily at the slightly older male. "Elrik, did you really do that? You didn't give her my message?"

Elrik chuckled nervously with a hand behind his head. "I admit, I wanted to make this a surprise, and well, the men are used to the procedure, as it's worked out well. You know how important it is to me to have this place remain secret."

"We'll talk about that later," Lutecia told him, giving him the evil eye, then took Caro's hands and smiled warmly at her. "I really hope you decide to join us here."

"I'm, um, thinking about it," Caro replied, still a bit dazed. "It's all quite sudden."

She momentarily wished Erio was here so she could talk to him; then she remembered she was supposed to be upset at him still, and pushed it out of her mind. At least she could talk to Lutecia about her confusion.

"Well, I'll let you two catch up," Elrik told them with a short bow. "If you'll excuse me, ladies."

"Despite his... questionable ways... he is a decent man," Lutecia said after he was gone, then sighed and began pulling Caro towards a small cabin with a white picket fence. "Well, let's go inside, and we'll talk all about it!"

Caro nodded and allowed herself to be pulled, her mind still a bit numb about all of this, but once inside, she managed to loosen up and easily fall back into a pleasant conversation habit with her old friend as they caught up. Megane came by later, having been out helping to tend the fields, and the three prepared dinner before turning in for the night.

But Caro couldn't quite shake the image of Erio and Elrik, side by side in her mind; why was her thoughts on both of them now? She had known Erio for many years now, but had just met Elrik, so why did she almost feel more comfortable with him then Erio? Was it because of their fight? She couldn't figure it out, but resolved to at least send a letter tomorrow to let everyone know things were alright.

It was with those thoughts, that she finally let sleep claim her.

x~~*~~x

Elrik broke contact and sat back, accepting the bottle of water he was handed to take a long drink, while Caro collapsed onto the mat, asleep. His 5-meter high feathered summoned serpent, Quetz leaned down to get it's chin scratched, after releasing the girl from its hypnotic illusion.

"I still don't see why we don't just force her to do what we want," Fronz, his second in command, remarked. "This seems to be an awful lot of work for one little girl, summoner mage or no."

"I told you why it needs to be this way, fool," Elrik told him with disdain. "She's a summoner, like me, and I won't hurt her that way. She also commands Voltaire, one of the mightiest dragons; pray you never meet him in your lifetime. We need her, as she's more powerful than the other few summoners we've collected so far. I've spent too long creating this hideout - hidden right under the Bureau's nose! - and also training my disenchanted summoner brethren, and I'm not going to just pack up and leave. My dream will start here!"

"Yeah yeah, you're the boss, the mighty Elrik the Red," Fronz responded casually. "Still seems like a lot of work compared to the others. Why don't you just use-"

"No," Elrik replied, cutting him off, then sighed. "There is another reason. In the Lu Lushe tribe, betrothals are assigned at birth. Caro was betrothed to me when she was born, and we spent a number of our early years playing together. I don't think she remembers me at all, but it was just one more thing the tribe robbed me of when they cast me out. She will come to love me in time; she will be my queen, when I return to take over the tribe."

Fronz shrugged, then picked up an apple and asked, "So, what's next?" before taking a crunchy bite out of it.

A slow smile spread across Elrik's face as he contemplated his next move. "I'll let her rest awhile, then proceed with some light nightmares. She has a bit of an attachment to her past life; I'll need to separate her from it, and I think I figured a good avenue with which to attack..."

x~~*~~x

"It's good to see you, Erio!" Megane offered enthusiastically with a mighty hug. "You do need to come by more often, although this time I wish it were under better circumstances."

Due to long practice, Erio knew to hold his breath, until Lutecia's mother released him and allowed him to breath. "Th-thanks. I know, I wish it were, too. Your last message seems like a promising lead, so we came as fast as we could."

Megane showed them into the house. "Well, it wasn't me who discovered it, but my daughter."

"Erio, good to see you!" Agito exclaimed, face lighting up, then became solemnly eager. "If you're going to check it out, I'm coming with you."

"We need to know where in particular you saw that ship, first," Zafira stated, pulling up a map of the planet and turning to the other person in the room.

"My smaller bugs have traveled all of this planet, and this is where they happened to see that ship descend and hear the talk of the new summoner prisoner," Lutecia explained, standing up from her chair and beginning to reach out and indicate a point, but then stopped before doing so, turning to give both of the males a serious look. "If I show you, I want to come with you as well."

"Whoa, Lu, you can't be serious!" Agito nearly gasped. "You still have a limiter placed on you, so you wouldn't be at full power!"

Erio put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Agito is right; the three of us should be able to handle this, if Caro is there."

"Caro is my friend, too!" Lutecia declared forcefully. "There isn't much I can do here, while you two risk your life. At first, things were nice, but then I read about how you and Caro are out there, using your magic to help people, while I just stay here..."

"Lutecia, honey, I thought we talked about this?" Megane said soothingly, coming to kneel in front of her daughter, hands on the girl's shoulders. "Bureau work is dangerous, and after all we've been through, I thought we wanted to just live happily here?"

The purple-haired summoner's head dropped, and when it came up, there were hints of tears in her eyes. "I have been happy here, mother, but Erio and Caro are my friends. They risked their lives to save me; this is the least I can do."

"Lu..." Erio whispered, then his face became firm and nodded. "Alright. Don't worry, Mrs. Alphino, I'll protect her."

Megane searched her daughter's eyes, then hugged her, before standing up. "You bet you will, but you won't be the only one!"

"Mom?" Lutecia wondered aloud.

The older woman turned and raised a clenched fist, giving the group an eager grin. "Oho! Your mother is not so old and out of it that she can't give her daughter a hand as well. I used to be one of the Bureau's best, after all! Hoho!"

There was a pregnant pause of awkward silence, then Lutecia reached up to touch a spot on the map and mark it.

"That's where I saw the ship landing, and the brief conversation of a summoner prisoner," Lutecia said. "There seemed to be some operation going on there. Carnajii is sparsely populated so I know most everyone here; and at first I thought it was just some mining company."

"But are investigations turned up no company that is registered to be a doing a mining operation here," Zafira finished for her. "Let's get moving. That location is several house away by flight, so we should get moving. I'd like to check it out before the day is over."

x~~*~~x

_"Why do you constantly pester me!" Erio demanded angrily. "Why can't you just leave me alone!"_

_"I'm not trying to!" Caro cried, as the boy seemingly grew in size, towering over her._

_"Shut up!" Erio sneered at her. "You're just jealous because I'm taller! You're small, because your mind is small! You'll always be a small person!" He grew even more, to emphasize the point between them._

_"Th-this isn't like you, Erio!" Caro declared, tears in her eyes. "What happened to you? Why did you change?"_

_The huge boy pointed accusingly at her. "I didn't change; you did! You pushed me away, always smothering me, never letting me be who I want to be! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" _

_Caro squinted her eyes shut, grabbed her head as she dropped to her knees, feeling such intense sadness and fear that she had never known before. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I-"_

_"SHUT UP!" Erio shouted at her, raising his spear at her. "Just shut up and go away! Just die and leave me alone!"_

_She looked up sadly, ready to take the attack. "If that's what you want..." Still, her eyes clamped shut as the spear was hurled straight at her, but when she failed to feel anything, she reopened them and breathed a single word, "Elrik..."_

_"So because you don't like what she does for you, you'd seek to harm her!" Elrik cried, his shield blocking the large spear. "People like you, can never fully understand summoners like us!"_

_"All of your kind should just die!" Erio screamed, pushing harder._

_"Then you leave me no choice," Elrik said softly, his crimson red summoning square flaring underneath him. "Jormung!"_

_"No!" Caro yelled, as a large blue serpent wound itself around Erio, his face contorting as he was squeezed; with a final cry, they both dissolved, and she found herself pulled to her feet._

_"I am sorry," Elrik told her, hugging her to him, letting her cry into his chest. "There was no other way... I will always protect you..."_

x~~*~~x

Caro sat up quickly, her heart racing and sweat dripping from her forehead; that was definitely no dragon dream. [But what _was_ it?] the question came unbidden. Part of her didn't really want to know, but as she looked over and saw Lutecia still asleep in the cot next to hers, she felt some relief that she didn't wake the other girl.

Deciding she need some fresh air, she got dressed and stepped outside the small house into the night air. The planet had a moon which was currently full and shining down, giving ample light to see in the darkness, and the fragrance of the flowers drifting on the cool night breeze gave the whole area a sort of mysterious, haunting beauty. Walking down the small path between the gardens on either side, she reached the white picket fence, leaning on it as she looked up at the stars, wondering what she was doing here; shouldn't she be trying to head home?

"Caro?" a male voice called in the darkness. "Is that you?"

Her eyes turned to see the short red-haired teenager step out of the shadow of a house. "Elrik! What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he replied, chuckling, strolling up to her. "Sometimes I like taking nightly walks, making sure everything is okay. And secretly feel proud of myself for what I've helped to build here... Oops, I guess my dark secret is out!"

She couldn't help herself, and giggled to match his laughter. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." Then she noticed he had stopped and he was looking at her. "What?"

His gaze was somehow different than before, then his head dropped. "Actually, I have to confess, there was a secret reason I brought you here. I feel terrible for not telling you earlier."

Somehow, she felt moved by how bad he looked, and found herself reaching out to take his hand. "What is it? Tell me."

"Perhaps it's best if I show you," he replied, stepping back to summon. "Quetz!"

Caro gasped a a large rainbow-feathered serpent arose from the ground and unfurled it's multi-colored wings. "Oh Elrik, your summons are beautiful!"

Quetz coiled itself on its tail as it lowered its body, allowing Elrik to leap to it's back and then hold out his hand for her. "Come, let me show you."

Hesitantly, she took his hand and let him pull her up. Once settled behind him, he told her to hold onto him as the serpent took off into the air. The night was somehow magical, as they soared through the sky, the moon and the stars casting enough light to see the forest roll below, cut by the narrow strand of silver that indicated the river. Elrik guided Quetz down lower, flying just above the river, heading upstream.

"As you've probably noticed," he said, craning his head back a bit, "the river looks like it should be larger."

"What happened?" she asked him, holding onto him a bit tighter.

"It's been slowly drying up over the past few week, and it's a cause of concern for us, since that river was a large reason why I built the village here," he told her. "As far the exact reason, I'll show you."

The serpent flew towards a not-too-far-away mountain range that seemed to be the source of the river, alighting atop a ledge in front of a cave mouth and depositing its two riders before desummoning itself. Elrick took Caro's hand as a mighty wind blew from the tunnel, then promptly died down. Nodding to him, she allowed him to take her deep into the tunnel that seemed to wind around for awhile, before opening up into a giant cavern that was lit by several torches along the walls.

But what made Caro gasp, was the soft blue-white light coming from the other side of the cavern; in a dark blue pool of water, rested the form of a beautiful blue dragon.

x~~*~~x

"What do you think?" Megane asked Zafira, as the five knelt on a hilltop, peeking over the edge.

They had just spent several hours flying across the continent to reach this location, and with the sun now going down, they needed to be ready to act soon; they needed a plan, and a way to identify if Caro was really here.

"It definitely looks like an illegal operation," the Guardian Beast replied, sweeping his eyes over the encampment next to the cavernous entrance in the cliff face. "There was nothing filed with the Bureau to indicate anything of this scale was going on here."

Erio only half-listened to them as he looked out over the hub of activity, using Strada to scan for any sign of Caro. There was no sign of her, but something in his gut told him she was here; she had to be. But at the moment, all he could see was half a dozen tents outside and a variety of individuals taking supplies from the medium-sized ship into the cavern, while a few others milled around the camp; but there was no sign of Caro.

"Lu, can you send your smaller bugs out to check out the place to see if she's here?" Agito suggested.

"Yes, but I can only summon a few, due to the limiter on me," the purple-haired summoner replied, standing up and activating her magic.

"She's here, I can feel it," Erio declared. "We should go in."

"Erio, remember what happened back on Supool," Zafira admonished him, shrinking to his smaller puppy size. "Wait here. Agito and I will scout the area. Megane, would you watch them?"

"Of course," she replied, nodding as the pair flew away with three of Lutecia's bugs.

Erio sighed and almost collapsed as he sat down, pounding the grass in frustration.

"What's wrong, Erio?" Lutecia asked, coming to sit next to him. "This isn't like you. I'm sure Caro is okay."

"You don't understand," he told her. "I... hurt her, before this. I was upset, and she went away mad, and then was kidnapped. If anything happens to her..."

"Then your last moments together will have been while you two were mad at each other," Lutecia finished for him. "But I'm sure she's still alive, and we'll get her back. So you'll have the chance to make things right between you two. The question is what you'll say to her when you do.

"I don't know if I can," Erio stated glumly. "I just... want her to be happy, and maybe it's better if I'm not around, so she can be. I just hate feeling this way."

Lutecia surprised him by grabbing his shoulders and turning him to face her. "Don't say that. For a long time, I felt nothing. Empty, almost dead. But thanks to you two, I began to feel again, and thus you're now both my precious friends. I know as long as you both care deep down and we all stick together, we can work through anything, alright? That's what you taught me that friendship means, when you saved me."

Erio stared in awe at at her firm face, her eyes steady with conviction. "Lu... I never realized..."

She suddenly lowered her hands to her lap as she blushed and looked down. "I'm sorry, I never said before because I was afraid it would make you uncomfortable, with how much you both mean to me."

Erio reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "No, it's okay. We've been friends for too long to let anything you tell us to scare us away. And... thank you."

She looked up, placing a hand on his resting on her shoulder, and giving him a grateful smile.

x~~*~~x

"She's hurt," Caro noted, hands and ear against the dragon's body, registering the slow and shallow breath. "And I'm not sure why."

Having carefully walked through the waist deep water to the dragon resting in the middle of the pond, Caro was trying to figure out why the female dragon was so weak. It barely acknowledged her presence, and for some reason, she couldn't even manage the barest of communication. She could feel a connection with her other dragons normally; it wasn't direct, but a kind of general feeling that she could pick up.

"So you can't make her better?" Elrik asked from the shore. "I had the impression this was a water dragon and that she was absorbing the water from the glacier behind her in order to keep herself alive, which is why our river was drying up. I was hoping you could do something, since you are a dragon summoner."

"I can't give her my mana unless I form a pact with her, but she's not responding to me," Caro explained, moving frantically around to the dragon's head to check its cool breath. "And she might be too weak now to do that. I've got to help her somehow, but I'm not sure what to do... I can't let her die!"

She felt a pair of hands on her shoulders, looking up behind her to see Elrik there. "Calm down, Caro. We're both summoners; if we work together, we can accomplish anything, I'm sure of it. We'll save her, I promise you."

Caro simply bit her lip and nodded, feeling oddly comforted as she looked up at his reassuring smile.

x~~*~~x

"Erio, duck!" came the female cry, and the young boy wasted no time in dropping to the ground as an energy beam lanced over him.

Looking up, he noted the pirate aiming for him with the gun take a shot to the head by a strangely spinning, glowing, boomerang-like object. He followed it's flight path back where Megane caught it with her free left hand; it turned out to be a curved magical sword, a twin of the one in her right hand, which she saluted him with while smiling.

"Go for it, Erio!" she shouted cheerfully. "We can handle this out here. Go do what you came to do!"

Erio nodded his thanks, but it occurred to him that he had never seen her magic before, and something about it tickled at the back of his mind, but he didn't have anymore time to devote to that; Caro was close by, he could feel it.

"Okay, Garuda, let's go!" Megane commanded as she moved off, referring to the summoned creature floating behind her; a 2 meter tall female humanoid, covered in emerald-green feathers, wings on her back, and fierce talons for hands and feet.

But Erio didn't have anymore time to to watch, as he ctivated Strada's boosters and shot past several pirates, causing them to dive for cover as he headed into the large cavern entrance. All the while he was calling out to Caro telepathically, but growing increasingly frustrated when he got no response; he desperately hoped she was okay.

x~~*~~x

"Can you tell what's wrong?" Elrik asked, his tone laced with concern.

Caro slowly opened her eyes and lifted her forehead from the dragon's. "She seems to be dying from within.. some sort of rot or disease, or-"

"Poison," the older teen finished for her, with a heavy voice.

"Possibly," Caro agreed, then stopped and turned to him. "Wait, do you know something?"

Elrik sighed and ran a hand through his short, red mane. "I was afraid of this. Before I started helping to build this settlement several weeks ago, I sent my various explorer snakes out to explore the area. I felt one die, but didn't think much of it; that's partially why I use them to explore dangerous areas. But I think it may have bit the dragon before dying, and thus poisoned it. I'm sorry, I didn't know..."

The pink-haired summoner felt moved to take the boy's hand in hers, as his voice trailed off and he hung his head. "Don't feel bad, Elrik, it wasn't your fault. But since you know the poison, do you have an antidote?"

He smiled and a bit, then shook his head. "Thank you, but I don't have any antidotes. I could make one, but it would take time. Normally, if my snakes bite a human I can use my magic to remove the poison, but I don't know dragon anatomy; I'm not sure I could draw out all the poison without getting other vital fluids as well." He cocked his head slightly, as if considering something. "However, you are familiar with dragons. If we join our magics, I can draw out the poison and you can work as a filter."

Caro looked down at her hand in his, as he placed his right palm flat against her left hand, twining his fingers with hers. Somehow, she felt incredibly nervous, momentarily wondering what she was doing; then a small groan from the dragon reminded her, and her face grew determined as she nodded.

Mimicking him, she placed her other hand on the dragon and summoned up her magic, feeling his working against hers as he sought to draw the poison out. She could feel it then, the vile substance rotting the mighty beast from within, and she did her best to keep the dragon together while Elrick pulled out all the venom.

And then it was done, and Caro's eyes refocused, seeing Elrik's smiling face, his hand still holding hers. "Thank you!" she breathed, grateful "You did it! I think she's going to be all right."

"*We* did it, together," the young male summoner replied, smiling back at her. "We make a great team, you and I."

Caro found herself unable to respond, as the teenager brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. [What's wrong with me?] was the only thought in her mind, which vanished as well when Elrik began to lean in.

"[CARO!]"

Her eyes went wide at the strong shout, but looking around revealed the two were alone; who said that?

x~~*~~x

Erio had put everything he had into that telepathic shout the second he arrived in the cavern and spotted Caro standing in the waist-deep pool, an unknown stranger opposite of her, holding her hand and leaning down. A large, colorful, feathered serpent was coiled behind the man, but that didn't distress Erio as much as what the two humans were doing. For some reason, he felt a very uncomfortable feeling in his gut; he didn't want to see this.

"Caro!" he called loudly, beginning to run towards her. "What are you doing!"

The redheaded male paused, while Caro's head turned, her voice almost monotone and lifeless when she spoke. "Er... ri... o?"

The young teenage boy's forming smile froze in place, as he noticed how unfocused her eyes were, and the way she looked back and forth; it was almost like she couldn't see him. [What is going on?] he wondered, the red-headed man also gave him the creeps for a reason he couldn't fathom.

But his next words confirmed it, as he reached up to guide Caro's face back to him. "It's nothing, just the remnants of a bad dream. It's just you and I here."

The large, feathered serpent behind the man reared up and spread its wings, launching into the air and then diving at Erio, who parried its sharp beak with Strada. Still, the impact halted the young mage's forward momentum and even sent him skidding backwards several a couple of meters, while the large serpent flew up and batted its wings downward. Erio put up a shield on impulse, blocking the barrage of sharp feathers, but the rest of his vision took note of the older teen boy leaning down towards Caro again.

"Caro, it's me!" Erio called again, then turned his attention to the other man. "Who are you? What are you doing to her!"

The mysterious teenager turned his head slightly and grinned at him. "Elrik, a summoner like her, and someone who will treat her as a queen; much better than you ever will. As for what I've done, well, my enchantment has bound her to me; there's nothing more you can do here, boy. I suggest you leave if you want to live."

"No!" Erio shouted, running in again while leaping over a tail swipe; then he half-turned and held his weapon up when the large snake attempted to bite his head off, instead biting down on Strada's shaft, having stopped it inches from his face. "Caro, I'm sorry! For how I acted and what I said this morning! I promise I'll do better, so please!"

"Erio?" Caro asked again, a bit more life in her tone. "Is that you?"

"Finish him, Quetz!" Elrik shouted, then turned back to her placing both hands on her cheeks to force her to look into his eyes. "It's just me, my beloved. I'll take care of you, and anything that will harm you."

Erio grit his teeth, then summoned up enough magic strength to toss the serpent aside. "Leave her alone!"

"Sonic Move!" Strada chirped, as the boy turned into a yellow flash that zipped by Elrik. When it was over, Erio was holding Caro in his arms.

"Caro, I'm sorry!" his choked voice told her again, tears in his eyes. "Please come back!"

"Impressive, but useless," Elrik commented, his blood-red summoning square forming. "And I forgive you for not knowing better than to challenge me; but you are about to learn why none challenge me. Jormung! Come forth and aid your master!"

Erio's eyes widened in shock as a huge serpent began to emerge from the second, much larger summoning square behind Elrik. For a moment, Erio wondered if there actually was an end to it, as it kept filling the cave room with it's enormous body. The creature nearly filled half the cavern when it was done, then opened its several meter-wide maw to reveal four rows of razor sharp teeth.

"Give her back to me, boy, or I kill the dragon," the angry summoner ordered. "And then I'll crush you like a bug."

"Caro isn't someone you can just take if you feel like!" Erio shouted back. "She has feelings of her own, and you can't use spells to mess with them!"

"You know not the ways of the world," Elrik growled, striding towards him while the large serpent reared up to strike. "That's what everyone in this universe does; the strong control the weak. The tribe threw me out because it was strong and I was weak. The pirates abused me because they were strong and I was weak. But when I became stronger, I took control of them. That's the one, absolute basic truth of this world. Even your precious Bureau only maintains peace because they are strong."

"That may be true, but there is more to life than just strength!" Erio countered, looking at the girl in his arms that stared up blankly. "There is friendship; caring about those you are close with, and seeking to protect them. No matter how much you may end up hurting them, you'll never stop... caring about them." His face came up to firmly stare down Elrik. "No matter who is stronger or weaker, Caro and I will stay together, along with all of our friends!"

Elrik spat. "I've heard words like that before. Let's see if they are any better than those that have fallen before me."

Erio nodded, then gently placed Caro down to sit against the cavern wall. "Sorry, Caro, but I'll be right back, and then I'll make it up to you, I promise."

As Elrik ordered Jormung to attack, Erio whirled and activated form two, using Strada's boosters to charge straight at the huge, looming maw, only to veer off to the side at the last moment and scrape along it's teeth. He flipped in mid-air, planting his feet on the ceiling and pushed straight down, popping several cartridges; as he suspected, the new summon was big and tough, but slow.

"Thunder Rage!" he cried, slamming his spear down on the back of its "head" to the accompaniment of several thunderbolts.

As the huge beast roared in pain, Erio thrust out his left hand and threw up a shield, blocking the wave of razor sharp feathers, having almost forgotten about the other one. The smaller, feathered serpent came flying in and snapped its tail at Erio's shield, breaking it and sending the boy flying. He recovered in mid-air and flipped again, leaping off the wall and engaging boosters again, charging straight for the flying snake. It hissed and dove at him, but at the last moment, Strada fired its side boosters, causing Erio to spin and smack the snake in the back of the head, hard, as they passed each other by mere centimeters.

He cheered inwardly as the serpent went down, but then a mighty wind accompanied by a loud bellow blew him out of the air and smacked him into the wall, indenting his form in the rock. He cracked an eye open, seeing the huge wyrm bearing down on him, aiming to eat him whole. With effort, he pulled himself loose and boosted straight up just as it crashed into the wall, shaking the cavern and dislodging stalactites from the ceiling.

"Jormung, Quetz, quit fooling around and kill him!" Elrik ordered, his voice barely containing impatience.

As he rebounded off the ceiling, Erio realized he should be aiming for summoner; put the pressure on him, and he could force the beasts to be desummoned. The larger wyrm and the flying serpent were both repositioning themselves for another attack on him, and Erio made his calculations as she shot towards Jormung. Quetz moved to intercept, but Erio released his prepared spell.

"Sonic Move!" Strada announced again, causing Erio to take off at a sudden 90 degree angle, straight for Elrik.

The summoner looked momentarily surprised, but Erio's spear hit a red barrier as the move ended and Elrik smiled. "Smart move. However, while my summons comprise most of my offense, my defense is quite sound. You know very little of the ways of summoners."

Erio launched off the shield as dozens of tiny snakes appeared and tried to leap up to bite him, cursing inwardly, realizing he should have expected that. He could penetrate the barrier with a bit of time, but that's something he didn't have with the summons running interference; what else could he do?

Then the summon known as Quetz attacked from behind, which Erio barely managed to block in mid-air with Strada, it's razor sharp beak biting down on the weapon's shaft held horizontally by the young mage. It suddenly let go, and as Erio was wondering why, he turned just in time to see Jorm's tail moving faster than he thought it could. He barely got a shield up, but the impact still sent him flying into the cave wall again.

"Give up, boy," Erio barely heard Elrik taunt. "You are alone. You can't possibly fight everything at once."

But before Jorm or Quetz could follow up that advantage, twin boomerang projectiles whacked each of them, diverting their attention to the newcomers at the tunnel entrance.

"You aren't alone, Erio!" Megane called cheerily, catching her swords, then ordered her winged-humanoid summon to attack. "Garuda, be a dear and take take of that funny feathered snake."

"Garyuu," Lutecia ordered, sending her own summon to assist her mother's, the two smaller summons chasing Quetz across the cavern, clashing occasionally.

"We took care of the ones outside," Zafira added, then roared, created a tent of white spikes that completely enclosed Elrik; he eyed the huge serpent. "Lutecia, can you summon Hakutenou?"

The purple-haired summoner shook her head. "I still have a limiter in place."

"We don't need him anyway!" Agito declared with a grin, throwing her large fireball at the target, causing it to bellow in response. "Size isn't everything!"

The young mage half-pulled himself out of his wall indent, eyes wide. "You guys..."

"Let's do this together, Erio," Zafira told him, as an angry Elrik broke his confinement, his hands glowing with red energy which he promptly fired as a beam.

Erio nodded, as Strada popped several cartridges and golden energy formed in his hand. "Thunder Smasher!" The slightly thicker golden beam cut off the crimson one, and for an instant, the two teenagers locked gazes.

The fight had just entered round two.

x~~*~~x

Caro was confused; she couldn't move, but the scene in front of her kept flickering back and forth. At first, it was just Elrik and the dragon, but then at times Erio seemed to be there, and she could swear she heard his voice. Then she saw Lutecia and Megane as well, but what were they doing here? Weren't they back in the village? And was that... Zafira and Agito?

_Help._

"[Who are you?]" Caro replied, but she knew in an instant. The beautiful crystal-blue dragon had lifted her head, and was looking straight at her. "[I don't understand...]"

_Look. Truth._

The dragon didn't speak so much as convey a series of concepts via emotions and mental imagery, which was even more confusing. Caro's senses were practically assaulted by the rapid onslaught of images, but after the initial burst she managed to compensate and was stunned at what she saw; a far different tale than what she had been told. And when it was over, she glanced back at the dragon and could now see a faint outline twining itself around the dragon almost like a thick vine, that wasn't there before. It appeared like another living creature, but it was drawing magic and life essence off the dragon, keeping it weak.

"[I understand now,]" Caro replied, closing her eyes. "[You need my mana to free yourself, and thus I accept. By the ancient contract, I, Caro Ru Lushe bind my fate to Pachua of the Crystal Snow. Let it the pact be formed! Take my magic and use it as you will!]"

When she opened her eyelids again, it was not with her own vision; she saw the scene for what it was, from her new summon's perspective. The ice-blue dragon broke free of her serpent constraints, spread her translucent crystal wings, and roared.

x~~*~~x

The blast of sub-zero water caught all by surprise, but more so the mighty gray serpent summon; Jormung was coated with water which promptly froze, rendering it immobile, encasing it a crystal ice cocoon. For a moment, there was deathly quiet in the cavern; even the summons had paused to take note of the new addition to the fight.

Then Elrik forced Megane to retreat with a crimson magic blast, and ran towards his imprisoned creature, crying out, "Jormung!" Erio was struck by the pain in his voice as he fired several red bolts at the ice prison, cracking it. "I'll have you out in a second!"

But the huge snake managed to break free on it's own, sending ice shards flying as the inertia of it's escape sent it slamming hard into the wall, dislodging more dirt and rocks from the ceiling, setting off a chain reaction; the weakened cavern had finally reached its limit, and was starting to come down.

"Caro!" Erio shouted, leaping across the room to land by her side, noting with some worry that her eyes were still glazed over.

Lutecia was suddenly there as well, kneeling by his side as she raised Caro's eyelids. "She's been hypnotized; I don't know if she's even aware of us."

Erio looked down, noting that Caro's hand had grasped his barrier coat, and was holding it tight. "She's there, she knows we're here."

Megane was suddenly there, deflected a falling rock with a barrier. "We need to get out of here, this place is coming down! Lutecia, can you teleport us out, please?"

"Wait!" Erio said suddenly, looking up, seeing Elrik standing next to Jormung, seemingly uninterested in everything except his summon. "I don't know why you did all this, but we need to get out of here, come on! We can talk about this outside!"

The young man shook his head, as large cracks in the ground and the floor divided into several slanted sections. "No. There is nothing for me in your world. I already told Caro, so you can ask her. My dream dies here, with me."

Erio found a muscular pair of arms holding him from behind as soon as he tried to spring across the cavern. "Zafira? Let me go!"

"It's too dangerous," the guardian beast told him, then turned to the younger girl. "Lutecia, do it."

Just before the flash of purple light consumed them all, Erio's final memory of Elrik was seeing him standing there with his summons, seemingly unconcerned as rocks began to fall around them all.

x~~*~~x

Erio's worry turned to apprehension,as Megane and Lutecia stood up from Caro, now laying on a cot, smiling and mentally present. Lutecia squeezed the other girl's hand, then Megane nodded to her daughter and the two left their patient and walked past past Erio who was watching from the tent entrance.

"She wants to talk to you," Megane whispered with a smile, giving him a small shove on his back.

"We removed the hypnosis enchantment," Lutecia added. "She remembers everything, but she'll be okay."

Erio nodded, but paused after several steps, his head bowed slightly, unable to meet her gaze.

"Caro, I-" "I'm sorry for-"

The two stopped and laughed, then Erio looked up and forged ahead. "Caro, I'm sorry for what I said and how I acted. I should have explained better. I'll be more honest with you."

She sat up and shook her head. "No, it's okay. It's my fault for presuming things without asking your feelings. I'll try to ask first next time."

There was another awkward pause, as both wondered what exactly to say, before Erio spoke up again, "Who was that guy?"

Caro allowed her eyes to focus elsewhere. "Someone... I think I used to know, once." She shook her head. "He seemed so nice, and I was fooled completely. Pachua showed me the truth; she's fine, by the way; she just my magic to teleport out and go find a new home. But he hypnotized me, showing me a vision of a village that didn't exist; and my emotions allowed me to be fooled, because I didn't want the truth as much as I thought I did, because of how angry I was at you."

"I told you it's not your fault, it's mine!" Erio insisted, waving his hands, then dropped them and lowered his head a bit. "Well, maybe it's a bit of both our faults, but I just want you to be happy."

Caro slid off the cot and hugged him, then went up on her tippy toes to kiss his cheek. "Thank you; you've always been there for me as long as I've known you, and I should have more trust in you."

Erio, his face red hot, could only stand there numbly and hug her back.

x~~*~~x

"Something wrong, daughter?" Megane asked, coming to sit down beside Lutecia and Agito, on the grassy hill overlooking the TSAB operation to clean up the pirate camp.

"Mother... I want to join the Bureau," Lutecia announced, studying the scene below.

"What, why!" Agito nearly shouted. "You know how dangerous it is; you should just be happy here!"

Megane was silent a moment, thoughtful, then stated, "I see. What made you decide this?"

"I heard the full story from Zafira about what was going on here," Lutecia responded. "Elrik was kidnapping and brainwashing summoners, using the pirates. All of them are going to be taken and rehabilitated now.

She paused for a moment. "Ever since I broke from from Scaglietti, I've been wondering if this is the right place for me to be. The numbers are readjusting to life and using their skills to help people now, and Erio and Caro are still contributing wherever they can." She turned to the unison device sitting next to her and patted the little girl's head. "Even you, Agito, are doing what you can, to make up for our past mistakes."

"But that's why I do it!" Agito insisted, pushing Lutecia's hand away and floating up in front of her face. "So you don't have to. I'll make it up for all of us!"

The young summoner couldn't help but smile and hug the little demon to her chest. "Thank you, but I should do my part, too." She looked up at her mother. "I'm sorry. I know you would prefer me to stay out of these things; I know you retired to take care of me."

Megane pursed her lips. "I have to admit, after losing Quint and Zest, I became afraid. I didn't want to lose you, too. So when the Bureau offered to let us live out lives confined to this planet in peace, I took it." She smiled and ruffled her daughter's hair "But you have to do what you feel is right for you. That's the promise Quint and I made when we became good friends, that we'd always do what's right, no matter what."

Lutecia leaned up against her mother. "Thanks, mom. I'll be careful and work really hard so you don't have to worry."

x~~*~~x

"...and that's the story," Zafira was saying to Hayate's image in the floating view-screen. "His previous victims were unknown to the Bureau, low ranked summoners with not much power. If he hadn't kidnapped Caro, he might have been able to get away with it for far longer."

"I see," Hayate noted, then shifted in her seat to indicate a change in subject. "And did you tell them about the prophecy?"

Zafira shook his head. "No, they have been through a lot, and I figured it could wait."

Hayate closed her eyes and recited it. "_A dragon's struggle against the world serpent shall signal the rise of Belka. After a time of peace, believers shall invoke the false devil, which shall descend up the ancient country and tear it asunder. Friend shall be put against ally. The fourth shall be born, and darkness will cover the land. Destiny rests upon three children._"

"Any word on the rest of it means?" Zafira asked after a moment.

Hayate shook her head, then folding her hands together in front of her face, stated what both of them already knew. "Just that something big is coming, and we have to be ready for it, because it'll be here within the year."

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

If you want to know more about the prophecy, stay tuned for "Through a Mirror, Darkly" coming up. But first, we have the last chapter of Red Jewel Diaries, "For Better or For Worse" which will bit of a comedy.


	13. For Better or For Worse

**Red Jewel Diaries**

**Chapter 13 - For Better or For Worse**

Xx~~*~~xX

Nanoha: "_While there were a few rough spots along the way, my relationship with Yuuno and Fate has been going very well. It really helps that the three of us have known each other and been friends for almost 14 years years. I knew going in that I wouldn't be having the normal relationship that most Japanese girls dream of, consisting of a standard courtship and then marriage. I wasn't even sure how Yuuno or Fate felt about the subject, and I suppose it might never have come up, if it hadn't been for my mother..."_

x~~*~~x

"Okay, then next you take each other's hands," Hayate dictated, glancing up from her script. "And then I say... Yuuno?"

Yuuno's face flashed forward. "Hmm? Oh, sorry. I just had that odd feeling again, like I'm being watched."

Hayate planted her hands on her hips and gestured to the various individuals putting decorations up in the auditorium. "Well, this is your rehearsal; there are a number of people getting the church ready. You need to pay attention so we can get this right. Now, you take each other's hands and... Fate?"

"Fate Takamachi Testarossa Scrya Harlaown reporting!" the nervous girl spat out suddenly, then blanched. "Wait, that's no good, either."

Hayate shook her head, then eyed the nearby rope hanging down and slowly started reaching for it. "Nevermind. We'll just skip to the end part, when you turn to the audience and I pull-"

"Hayate, we have a problem!" Shamal said worriedly, suddenly appearing on the stage. "The caterer we hired says they can't get enough tomato paste and foot-long celery stalks for the Belkan Blessing in the middle of the ceremony!

Hayate glanced at the rope, then sighed and lowered her hand. "Alright, contact Amy; she's coming from Earth, and might be able to bring some with her."

Nanoha glanced at Hayate, then at the nervous Fate and distracted Yuuno, her mind going back to the events that got her into this situation...

x~~*~~x

"You're what!" Momoko nearly shrieked from her image in the holographic phone call.

Nanoha furrowed her brow in confusion. "I said we're living together; we have been for almost a year now. I didn't mention that in my letters?"

"You mentioned that Fate had a guestroom, and I know you three were seeing each other, but I didn't think you were all living together," Momoko replied, still wide-eyed. "Weren't you going to get married before you started living with a man? It's almost... indecent."

"Yuuno has been a perfect gentlemen," Nanoha defended the male of her threesome. "In fact, he resisted at first. But Fate tended to stay here when she was in town, so we felt Yuuno should as well in order to feel more a part of the family."

"Well, getting married certainly makes you a family!" Momoko prodded, then sighed. "And here I was so hoping to attend the weddings of all my children... Kyoya and Shinobu's was wonderful, and I'm still waiting for Miyuki to find someone, and when I found out about your... situation... it surprised me, but I figured that as long as you found someone and were happy... and would have a nice, lovely wedding ceremony... but it's okay, it's your life, and we love you, so I won't interfere. I'd just like to see all my children married before I die..."

Nanoha sighed, her defenses crumbling; there were still some attacks that she was vulnerable to. "I'll... talk to Yuuno and Fate about it, okay?"

"Alright, and thank you, honey!" Momoko acknowledged, face beaming. "I'll look forward to it! Your father will be so excited. Oh, I need to head to the market to pick up food for dinner before Shiro gets home. I'll talk to you later, and be looking forward to the good news!"

Nanoha said her goodbyes and signed off, then sat back on the couch and let out a long breath, staring up at the ceiling. [What did I just get myself into? And how am I going to tell Yuuno and Fate?]

x~~*~~x

As it turned out, Nanoha discovered _that_ was the easy part.

"Sure!" Fate replied with a smile.

"Sounds interesting," Yuuno agreed thoughtfully, adjusting his glasses.

Nanoha blinked. "Are you two really okay with this?" Somehow, Nanoha thought this would be a bit harder; although it _had_ taken her quite a few days to work up the nerve bring the subject up for discussion.

"You know we love you, and don't plan to go anywhere," Fate soothed, patting the woman's right shoulder.

"Fate is right," Yuuno concurred, taking her left hand. "You know, I've studied numerous marriage rituals in many different cultures. Earth has a quite a few fascinating ones. Have you decided on what kind of ceremony you'd like? The Scrya clan doesn't really do anything special, I must admit."

Nanoha was flabbergasted, especially as Fate took her right hand and she looked back and forth between her partners. "I... I hadn't really thought about it; I was more anxious about what you two would say. A Japanese wedding is traditional in my home country, although most girls dream of being asked in a more western-type wedding, but then again those ceremonies are mainly for couples, and we are on Mid-childa... What do we do for three people?"

"Well, due to lots of interstellar travel, there are many cultures represented on Mid-Childa," Fate answered, thinking.

"I could do some research and present some options we can discuss," Yuuno added, then leaned over a bit to meet Fate's gaze. "But there's something that needs to be done first, wouldn't you agree, Fate?"

She nodded, slowly smiling as she caught his meaning, then moved with him to kneel in front of Nanoha, each of them still holding one of her hands. As one, they asked: "Nanoha, will you marry us?"

Nanoha inhaled sharply, suddenly finding herself speechless as she looked down at Fate and Yuuno. Giving up on her voice, she pulled both of them up for a hug.

"Y-es," she finally choked out.

When she released them, Yuuno noted aloud, "Well, from what I understand of Earth culture, it's customary for the female to take the male's family name. However, that's not so important to the Scrya clan unless you plan to become a traveling archaeologist." He paused to chuckle. "You'll be considered part of the clan without the name, and it doesn't matter much to me what you decide, as long as you're happy with it. Or maybe I should change my last name!"

Nanoha blinked. "I actually hadn't thought about that, either. Fate, what do you think?"

The golden-haired girl stared off the in the distance, thoughtful. "I don't know. If I took both your names, would that make me Fate Testarossa Harlaown Scrya Takamachi? Or perhaps Fate Testarossa Harlaown Takamachi Scrya? Fate Scrya Takamachi? Fate Takamachi Scrya? Hmm, I need to think about this..."

The other two blinked as a trance-like Fate stood up and left the room.

x~~*~~x

And while Momoko was thrilled to hear about the impending nuptials, Nanoha felt the distress rise once again when her mother went on and on about what kind of wedding it would be, how much she was looking forward to seeing how grand it was, and how Mid-Childa performed it's ceremonies. And if Nanoha would wear her wedding kimono that Momoko's mother wore and had been passed down in the family...

"Alright, shall we try this again?" Hayate suggested reaching up towards the hanging rope again. "The wedding is in a couple of days, and I've already gone over all my parts!"

And thus, Nanoha was glad Hayate had found out and insisted on handling all the details, and secretly amused she wanted to be the one to marry them; while not a priest, as a Commander in the Naval forces she apparently had authority in the TSAB to perform weddings as a master of ceremonies.

"Hayate!" Lucino called, popping up out of nowhere, one ear fitted with a communicator. "I need you to come with me right away; customs is being difficult, and we might not be able to get the dozen dancing penguins here for the after-wedding celebration party!"

Hayate grumbled in frustration and lowered her hand from the rope again, as she was pulled away. "We'll pick this up again tomorrow; study up on your parts!"

Nanoha rubbed her temples.

x~~*~~x

The half-dozen cloaked and hooded individuals gazed at each other in the torch-lit chamber.

"We all know why we are here," one said, gesturing towards two life-sized posters. "As the top echelon from the respective Nanoha Worshipper and Fate Fantatic fan clubs, we are both faced with a crisis: our idols are getting... married."

"To a male, even!" #2 added in a female voice, raising a clenched fist.

The first nodded. "Right. And that is something we must prevent; the purity of our Aces must be maintained! We cannot allow them to be married!"

"Unless it's to one of us!" a third declared, which was met murmuring assent.

"Agreed," the first concurred. "So, we have decided to team up our fan clubs to put a stop to this. By initial assent, we have decided to rename this temporary team-up to the Nanoha And Fate Togetherness Alliance. And now I open the floor: does anyone have any ideas? The write-in campaign and online petition has sadly failed due to lower-than-expected turnout."

This announcement was met with gasps of dismay, while one said, "I can't believe there is actually so few of us who feel this way."

"We need to get rid of that librarian somehow," #3 offered. "Can we take out a contract on his life?"

"Hmm, a professional assassin?" #1 questioned thoughtfully. "Do we have enough money to hire one? I'm sure if we pool our resources..."

"I don't have any money," #2 said sadly. "And I don't get my allowance again until Friday of next week!"

"I'm broke, too, after buying several pieces of high-class merchandise," #4 added.

"You mean those figurines and that life-sized pillow," #5 accused.

"You're just jealous!" #4 shot back.

#5 dug through his pockets and hoisted an object. "Why would I be jealous when I have this!"

#2 scratched his head. "Isn't that the plastic fork you dug out of a trashcan at that cafe you claimed Fate ate at?"

"People, people, enough!" #1 told them, trying to regain order as #4 cuddled his plastic fork. "We're losing focus. We need ideas, and apparently we don't have enough money to hire an assassin."

As the group lapsed into silence, #6 looked timidly around and slowly raised her hand, speaking in a very quiet voice. "Um, I-I m-might... have an idea..."

"Molly, right?" #1 inquired. "What is your-"

His speech was cut off by the flood of light from the door above, and a heavy-set male voice announced, "Jeremy, your mother says dinner is almost ready. And why do you have all the lights off? Is this another one of your games?"

"Dad, please!" Jeremy groaned. "This is our N.A.F.T.A. meeting, I told you!"

"Yes, but why in the dark by torches?" his dad continued, his voice turning disapproving. "You hear that big sucking sound? That's your childhood being destroyed. You should be outside playing in the sun like other kids your age."

Jeremy hid his face in his hands and sighed.

x~~*~~x

"Alright, there he is Hayate's house over there, getting measured for a tuxedo," Jeremy said, looking through his telescope from his vantage point in a tree. "Can you get him from here?"

"Y-yes, I think s-so," Molly replied, lifting her thick glass up onto her head while leafing through her book storage device.

Jeremy jumped down to hide in the bushes next to her. "So all your curses are in there? Are you ready with the first one we discussed?

Startled by his sudden presence by her side, a reddening Molly nearly dropped her book, but caught it again. "Y-yes, I-I think I can make him into a p-per-per... um, bad person. He'll be forced to, um, g-grab... um, women." She flushed red.

"Perfect!" Jeremy declared with a smile. "Nanoha and Fate will see him as the lecherous pervert that he is, and call off the wedding!"

Molly nodded, squinting as she gazed through the window at the slightly smudgy figure within and wound up her magic and fired.

"Did you get him?" Jeremy asked eagerly.

Molly suddenly remembered something very important, and slid her glasses back down. "Oops..."

x~~*~~x

"Something wrong, Yuuno?" Vice asked.

"I thought I felt some magic being performed," Yuuno replied from atop the short stool after a moment, then shrugged. "Might have been nothing."

"You're just trying to get out of this," Chrono accused, amused from where he sat. "Now you know what I had to go through when I got married. Although I admit, I didn't have Hayate designing my outfit."

"She insisted," Yuuno replied a bit darkly, then sighed. "And not just the clothes, but she insisted on marrying us, getting Carim to rent us the Saint Church to hold it in, as well as hiring all the associated personnel. Every day it seems to grow more and more; this whole thing has almost spiraled out of control!"

"Like Chrono said, you're just nervous," Vice told him, then laughed. "Although why you'd be so eager to chain yourself down in the first place..."

"Perhaps I should tell Signum you said that," Yuuno shot back, to which Vice chuckled nervously as he re-adjusted how he was sitting on the couch.

"Okay, I think I found a better tape measure," Hayate said, coming back into the living room. "I'll just need to take a few more measure-eep!"

Chrono stared as Hayate froze, in what someone might call karmic justice.

"Um, what are you doing, Vice?" Yuuno inquired, not having seen the man move that fast before.

Vice suddenly noticed how he was glomping Hayate, hands grabbing her ample chest, and he quickly let go. "I... don't know. One moment I'm sitting there, and the next-"

"Hayate, I found-Oooh!" Shamal nearly cooed as she came into the room, blushing lightly. "While I don't mind, I think Signum might, if she found out."

Vice quickly let go of her and backed away. "I don't know what happened, I didn't mean to, I swear!"

Chrono's eyes were half-lidded. "Uh huh. Something you want to tell us?"

Before he could reply, Vita appeared in the entryway. "Hayate, I just got off the comm with Carim and-"

x~~*~~x

"Still can't believe Nanoha is finally getting married," Suzuka said, sighing as she at the cafe table.

"I know," Arisa replied a bit glumly, using her straw to push the ice around in her drink; then she grinned. "So what about you? When are you going to find a man?"

"Not interested," Suzuka replied matter-of-factly. "As a matter of fact, I'll be glad when our new assignment starts back on Earth; as much as I like it here, it can get a bit too weird sometimes."

"Oh come on, it's not THAT weird... here..." Arisa started to say, then trailed off as both girls stared.

"I SAID I WAS SORRY!" Vice hollered as he passed the dumbstruck pair sitting at the outdoor cafe table, his form nearly a blur.

"THEN STOP RUNNING SO I CAN POUND YOUR ASS INTO THE PAVEMENT, YOU PEDOPHILIAC PERVERT!" Vita angrily shouted back, hot on his trail, taking swipes that the targeted male barely kept out of range of.

Suzuka shook her head as the commotion disappeared into the distance, and returned to stirring her drink. "You were saying?"

Arisa just continued to stare.

x~~*~~x

"I'm s-sorry," Molly apologized for the hundredth time. "I-I'm farsighted and c-can't see without my g-glasses."

"It's okay," Jeremy told her, patting her shoulder awkwardly, then gestured toward the Takamachi household from their new hiding spot. "Let's just get it right this time. But we'll need a different curse to avoid suspicion. What else have you got?"

"Hmm, h-how about a sneezing curse?" she suggested. "Whenever someone asks a question, the victim will sn-sneeze instead."

Jeremy brightened. "Perfect! The ceremony is loaded with questions, so it'll have to be called off if he's sneezing!"

She nodded and began to wind up her magic.

"Um, Molly?"

She paused as she turned to him, then looked up at his gestures. "Oh, right."

Her face reddened as she dropped her glasses back down and resumed her curse preparations.

x~~*~~x

"Um, why not set it in the living room for now, while I find a place for it," Nanoha directed to the two men at her doorway with the large object in.

Yuuno looked up from position on the couch. "What's that?"

Nanoha sighed. "It's Shamal's wedding gift, a vanity with a fancy mirror. I told them we didn't need anything this big, but... how are you doing?" She came over to sit next to him.

It was Yuuno's turn to sigh. "I think I've got everything down - although I'm still a bit unsure about the interpretive dance - but I have to admit, I never thought things would get this... big.

"...Harlaown Scyra Takamachi?" Fate mumbled to herself, coming into the living room.

"Fate?" Nanoha asked, as the golden-haired woman continuing into the kitchen, mumbling to herself while looking at a piece of paper.

She apparently didn't hear her name being called, as she grabbed a stick of string cheese out of the fridge and headed back out. "Fate Takamachi Scrya Harlown Testarossa?"

Yuuno and Nanoha watched her go, then looked at each other and sighed.

"I'll go talk to her," Nanoha stated, standing up.

Yuuno nodded, then noticed the men having difficulty with the vanity, and he quickly sprinted over to catch the mirror as it began to tip over, feeling that odd chill again. "Careful!"

"Sorry about that," one of the men apologized as the item returned upright.

"Yuuno, are you okay?" Nanoha asked, seeing the look on his face.

"Yeah, just had the strangest feeling for the second time in as many days," he replied, then shrugged. "Probably nothing."

x~~*~~x

"Did you get him?" Jeremy asked eagerly again.

Molly sneezed.

Jeremy sighed.

x~~*~~x

The day of the wedding finally arrived.

"Yuuno, are you almost ready?" Chrono called from the Takamachi living room. Getting no answer, he walked down the hall to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Yuuno?"

"...I can't do it," came the muted response, full of despair.

[Oh boy,] Chrono thought, sighing.

x~~*~~x

Lutecia looked through the bulletin she had been handed when she came in, from her seat in the pew. Caro had shown her and her mother, Megane, to the seat, then taken her mother to find the restroom, so she was all by herself at the moment; well, other than the small groups of people milling about the large auditorium. The leaflet detailed the schedule of what would happen during the ceremony, of which the young summoner was quite interested.

"Hello there, young lady, have you given any thought to what you will do with the rest of your life?" came a soft female voice.

Lutecia looked up, surprised by the question. "I'm not really sure..." She had decided to join the bureau, but wasn't sure what role she would play yet.

The woman in priestly robes promptly handed her a tract. "The Saint has a role for us all to play in life, and we need only open our souls to her, and we will find happiness!"

The young girl blinked; wasn't the Saint supposed to be Vivio? "Really? I don't know..."

The older woman placed a hand on Lutecia's shoulder and nodded sagely. "I can understand your hesitancy; we have all done things we regret in our past. But the good news is that the Saint will love you regardless of what you've done!"

The summoner did recall her fights against Caro and Erio, over two years ago, and working for the doctor. She did still feel some shame from that, despite the pair's insistence that everything was okay now.

The female priest lifted her other hand, gesturing towards the stained glass window, which had an artistic representation of their holy deity. "Give yourself over to the Saint, and enjoy the warmth in her bosom! Admit your past to her, and she will take care of you!"

"Reverend Beam!" came a new female voice whom Lutecia recognized as Knight Carim Gracia from pictures she had been sent by her friends. "I thought you had understood the request that there was to be no evangelizing to people during this event."

"But I just want to save this young woman's soul by introducing her to the love the Saint offers!" Reverend Beam complained.

Carima sighed and grabbed the back of the other woman's robes and began to haul her off. "Maybe another time. Sorry about this, young lady!"

"It's alright," Lutecia replied, more confused than anything.

"No, wait!" the preacher commanded, but it fell on deaf ears. "Young lady, it's never too late, you can find everlasting love today! Her grace guides us all! The power of the Saint compels yooouuu!"

Lutecia blinked as the woman's voice faded, shortly after being dragged out the door; this was certainly turning out to be an interesting event.

"Hello dear, anything happen while I was away?" Megane asked, sitting down next to her daughter in the pew.

"I'm not sure, but I think someone was trying to set me up with Vivio," Lutecia answered, scratching her head.

Megane raised an eyebrow in confusion.

x~~*~~x

Alto sighed as she went to hang up her coat in the church's large closet, letting the hand take it from her; why did weddings always make her feel so lonely and sad?

She paused, then turned back around. [Hand?] She began to carefully peel back the various other coats hung on the rack. "Who's in there?"

"Please go away!" pleaded a familiar male voice.

Alto blinked. "Vice? What are you doing in there?"

There was a short pause. "I can't tell you. You don't know the hell I've been through, the past few days!"

"Look, whatever it is, you can't stay in there," she told him, reaching in and finding an arm to grab. "It's creepy. Come on out."

"No, I can't!" he insisted, trying to resist, but Alto was in no mood and with a surge of strength, she yanked him out.

Then stared in confusion as he quickly cringed, looking away with his arms up in a defensive position. "What is your problem!"

"I can't look at you!" he nearly shouted. "It's triggered by sight!"

Alto shook her head, then walked up to him and slapped his face. "Get a hold of yourself. We don't have time for your games today!"

"Aaah!" Vice exclaimed as he saw her, then blinked and looked at his hands. "Hey, what do you know?" He suddenly reached out and grabbed her shoulders. "Yes, yes, I have full control again! I have no desire to feel you up! Maybe it's because I've always thought of you as one of the guys instead of a woman... or maybe it wore off?"

Alto, however, didn't hear that last part; just a roaring noise in her ears, partially wondering where the anger had suddenly come from, as her fists clenched and unclenched.

"Oh, Vice, here you are," Agito said, floating in. "Signum has been looking everywhere for you and... why are you looking at me that way?"

x~~*~~x

"Isn't this wonderful?" Arf declared in full woman form, twirling in her dress in the church lobby. "Weddings seem to be a lot of fun; don't you agree, Zaffy?"

"I told you not to call me that," Zafira replied in a hushed voice, tugging at the neck of his tuxedo. "At least not out in public. And I'll be glad when this is over; these outfits are very uncomfortable. If Hayate hadn't insisted..."

She playfully punched his arm. "Aw, come on, you look fine! Besides, you should get used to it, because I might want my own wedding someday." She paused to wink at him, making him feel oddly delighted and uncomfortable at the same time.

"Um, we'll... talk about it," Zafira replied diplomatically. "I am not sure I see the point of this human ceremony."

"They're just an excuse to have a lot of fun!" Arf explained with a grin. "So lighten up and try to enjoy yourself!"

Zafira raised an eyebrow. "I fail to see what is so amusing about..."

He trailed off as both guardian beasts witnessed Vice streaking across the lobby and ducking out the double doors, an angry fireball-tossing Agito and Alto hot on his trail.

"I"LL TEACH YOU TO FONDLE ME, YOU PEDOPHILIAC PERVERT!" the little demon growled, preparing another shot.

Arf shook her head and grabbed Zafira's arm, tugging him toward the auditorium. "Um, yeah, let's go find our seats..."

x~~*~~x

"Fate, are you okay?" Nanoha asked softly; the other woman she had been quiet for quiet awhile, ever since they had been both brought to this room to wait.

"Harlaown Scrya Fate Takamachi Testarossa!" Fate blurted. "Oh, sorry, I think I'm fine; I still can't decide on a name, and we'll be married in a few hours!"

Nanoha sighed, then smiled and carefully closed the few steps in her white, flowery kimono to gently hug the other woman. "It's alright, really. Whatever you decide, even if you don't change your name at all, is fine with me. Fate has always been Fate to me. I'm just a bit sorry for dragging you into all this. I was fine with how we were, but my mom wanted a wedding, and it snowballed into this..."

Fate giggled as she hugged back. "To be honest, my mother had been bugging me about it, too. I suppose we'll be the same when Vivio grows up. But maybe I have been thinking too much on this; it's just that. I shortened Testarossa to a T just to make it easy for people, but five names is a bit daunting.

A wry smile appeared on Nanoha's face. "You'll work it out; if not, Yuuno and I will for you!"

The two women shared an understanding moment of giggling, before the door opened and Hayate came in, Rein floating after her.

"Alright, showtime in a little over an hour, girls!" the Wolkenritter mistress-turned-priest announced, then looked around. "Wait, Yuuno's not here yet?"

"Um, I think he had to pick up something from home first, although due to the rules, the brides can't see the groom on the wedding day," Nanoha answered.

Fate reached down and gave Nanoha's hand a squeeze. "I'm sure he'll make it in time; Chrono will make sure of it."

Nanoha nodded, but inwardly couldn't suppress the bit of rising worry.

x~~*~~x

"Come on, Yuuno, you know you want to do this," Chrono told the other man. "You wouldn't have gotten this far if you didn't. This happens to a lot of guys on their wedding day. Remember mine?"

"That was different," Yuuno countered. "You already knocked up Amy."

Chrono grit his teeth, and pulled out S2U. [That's it, no more Mr. Understanding.]

Yuuno's eyes were wide as Chrono teleported in and fired off a point blank stinger shot that slammed the other man into the bathroom wall, leaving his target dazed, but intact; he knew Nanoha would never forgive him if he brought Yuuno to the wedding in multiple pieces. After returning his device to card form and slipping it back into his coat, he grabbed the lapels of the unresisting ferret-boy and hoisted him up against the wall.

"I married Amy because I _love her_, idiot!" Chrono nearly growled into Yuuno's face, satisfied to see terror there. "Just like I'm going to drag you to that church, and you're gonna walk down that aisle because you love Nanoha and Fate. Capiche?"

"But.. but... everyone will see!" Yuuno told him, desperate. "Before, it was just us, and there was no pressure, and now there's a big audience and..."

"And what?" Chrono asked him. "It means it's permanent, and that scares you to death, doesn't it? That's the thing about weddings; it's a public declaration. Before, it was just between you three, and if things didn't work out, you could break up."

"I'm just afraid I might not be good enough for them," he admitted at last, sighing as Chrono finally let him go. "What if I can't handle it?"

"I asked myself the same question with Amy and the kids," Chrono admitted. "Whether you can or not doesn't matter. You do it because it's the right thing to do. The same reason I'm an enforcer and you're a bookworm. The same reason we both support and help people."

Yuuno's head came up to gaze at him. "You're right... Thanks, Chrono."

"Don't mention it," Chrono told him, suddenly flustered, then grabbed the other man and gave him the evil eye. "I mean it, seriously, don't tell anyone." He released Yuuno and strode to the bathroom door, unlocking it. "Besides, I remember my best man doing something similar for me, and now the situation is reversed. Just repaying a favor; I hate owing people. Now come on, I have to get you to the church on time."

Yuuno followed him out the room and down the hall to the front door as Chrono opened it. "Heh, sure. I-"

Chrono turned around, seeing Yuuno standing in the doorway, an odd look on his face. "What's wrong now?"

"I don't know, but we should just go," Yuuno replied, then blinked strangely.

Chrono scratched his head.

x~~*~~x

"I got him!" Molly declared happily, then looked down into her book again. "He should be cursing and swearing whenever he... oh no..."

"What now?" Jeremy inquired. "I thought you said you got him?"

Molly sneezed twice, then rubbed her nose, tears appearing in her eyes."I did the wrong curse! Instead of swearing, he'll just be forced to rhyme! I'm sorry!"

Jeremy sighed and pulled out his phone. "It's okay, we'll just have to go to plan B. Hello? Byron? Yeah, plan A is no go. We need to... I don't care about your fork; look for it later! Just get plan B in gear! Tell the others to start hacking into the traffic network!"

"I'm REALLY sorry," Molly sobbed into her hands as Jeremy hung up. "I-I'm just a screw up. I-I c-can't do anything RIGHT. I always m-mess up! I only j-joined this club because I loved y-" She quickly shut up.

Jeremy patted her back. "It's alright, I think I know what you mean."

She looked up, cheeks flushed. "You do?"

He nodded and sighed. "I've felt the same for awhile."

Molly dried her eyes and sniffled. "Really?"

"Yeah, if this doesn't work out, there is still the Hayate fan club!" he told her, smiling.

Molly broke down into tears again.

x~~*~~x

"Something wrong, hun?" Shiro asked, looking down at his daughter.

Nanoha looked up at her father and squeezed his arm. "I just haven't heard if Yuuno has arrived or not. I'm a bit worried."

"Take it from me, no man will miss the wedding with the one he loves," he assured her, patting her hand on his arm, then chuckled.. "Or 'ones.' Yuuno's a good kid; he'll make it. Believe in him."

"Shiro is right," Lindy added from behind, holding onto Fate who was in the more traditional Earth wedding dress. "We still have 15 minutes until the wedding march starts. That's plenty of time."

Fate nodded as well, and Nanoha smiled; Yuuno hadn't let her down before, and she had to believe he wouldn't now.

x~~*~~x

"I don't believe this all this traffic, the amount of which is rather sick," Yuuno declared from the passenger seat, then sighed.

"Would you stop rhyming?" Chrono growled as he threaded between slow-moving cars. "It's getting annoying."

"I said I don't know what is wrong, or why I've been rhyming this long!" Yuuno shot back, then slapped his cheeks.

"Analysis complete," Alicia intoned from his wrist bracelet. "Magic particles have altered your neural pathways.. At the rate of current dissipation, the effect should end in approximately 72 hours."

"Great, it looks like a magical curse," Yuuno noted with despair. "How could this possibly get any worse?"

"Keep talking, and you'll find out," Chrono grumbled as he yanked the wheel hard, crossing several lanes, tipping the vehicle up on it's side to slip between a couple of cars, managing to reach the freeway on-ramp. "Alright, it should be smooth sailing from... here..."

Both men stared as all five lanes in front of them had slowed to a dead crawl.

x~~*~~x

Nanoha managed to see Teana and Subaru sitting near the aisle as she neared the end of the aisle, who smiled and while Subaru flashed a thumbs and lifted her other hand which held Teana's.

Vivio was already up front, having been the flower girl; she was standing next to Nanoha's Matron of Honor, Vita, looking somehow still a bit taciturn while smiling in her pink dress. But if there was someone who looked even more out of place, it was Fate's Matron of Honor, Signum, wearing a similar pink dress. Nanoha allowed herself a small smile; Signum had been very much against wearing that dress.

Nanoha's smile grew seeing the happy face of her mother in the front row, and somehow, that look made this all worthwhile.

She took her place at the altar, and as the music continued playing and Fate began her own trek, attached to Lindy's arm, Nanoha couldn't help but hope Yuuno had made it in time.

x~~*~~x

"We'll never make it at this rate," Yuuno groused as the car inched along on the freeway. "I'm going to miss my wedding with Nanoha and Fate! I don't know why, they won't let me fly!"

"They said it's not an emergency, and thus wouldn't clear you," Chrono replied, then pulled onto the shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll get you there on time. Get out of the car!"

"What are you, trying to do?" Yuuno asked, undoing his seat-belt.

"It's a good thing you know an admiral," he replied, pulling up a communication screen. "Griffith, do you read me?"

The window opened to show Griffith, hair mussed, a frozen Lucino in his lap, who quickly got out of it when she regained presence of mind. "Um, yes sir, _Ventek_ reporting, what can I do for you?

x~~*~~x

As Fate took her position at Nanoha's side at the altar, all eyes turned back toward the open door... but it was empty. Nanoha felt her heart drop as the murmurs started.

Then a bright light flashed beside them, and when it was over, Yuuno and Chrono were standing there. Nanoha felt the heaviness lift instantly.

"Told you," Fate whispered, and Nanoha could hear the smirk in her voice

"Nice of you to join us," Hayate teased the two with a grin. "Now, if you'll take your places, we'll continue."

x~~*~~x

This was the moment Yuuno had been dreading; the exchange of vows. With the curse in place, he knew he'd never be able to follow the planned script; so that only left one option. Nanoha and Fate had already given theirs, so it was his turn.

He took a deep breath.

"_Nanoha and Fate, you are both very precious to me,_

_there is no one else I'd rather be._

_I do take you two, in sickness and in health,_

_through good times and bad, and through poverty and wealth._

_I make this promise, that we will never part,_

_because I love you both, with all my heart.""_

[Okay, that was a bit lame,] Yuuno thought glumly, but the wavering eyes of the two women in front of him as they moved to kiss him, told him it didn't seem all bad to them.

Hayate turned the three to the audience. "I now present Mr. and Mrs. and Mrs. Takamachi!"

The crowd erupted into applause, as Hayate continued while reaching for the rope. "And now the symbolic rebirth of your new lives, according to Ancient Belkan tradition!"

She pulled it, dumping water and glitter on the recently married three.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

Just a note that Molly is available for your wedding, too! ^_^


End file.
